Cotton From 1850-1860

Along with the demand for cotton came a demand for labor. Black slaves from Africa were used to hand pick cotton in cotton fields, a tedious and daunting job. After Eli Whitney's invention of the cotton gin, cotton production skyrocketed from the average 3,000 bails per year to 300,000 bails per year. Unlike the north, the south lacked transportation improvements such as railways, roads, and water canals.

     After the invention of the cotton gin, the production of unprocessed cotton doubled each decade after 1800. Other inventions of the Industrial Revolution were the machines to spin and weave cotton and the steamboat to transport it. America was growing three quarters of the world's supply of cotton in the mid-century. Most of it was shipped to England or New England where it was made into cloth. During this time, tobacco’s value decreased, rice exports stayed at the same price, and sugar began to flourish, but only

The shipping ports and subsequent infrastructure that followed such as the New Orleans Cotton Exchange that helped strengthen the economy were prompted by the creation of the cotton gin. However, these outcomes were the result of several factors not including any foresight by Eli Whitney. Instead, New Orleans’ ranking as among the main cotton markets in the world can be attributed to the many other factors. Firstly, the success of New Orleans cotton market depended heavily on the demand for the product. Demand of cotton from England rose drastically following the creation of the steam engine, mechanical spinners, and the power loom; all creations of the Industrial Revolution. These inventions reduced the cost of producing manufactured fabric and subsequently decreased prices and increased demand. Aside from the cotton gin, the supply side benefited from the varieties of cotton which

The growth of the cotton industry impacted America economically and socially. “The domestic slave trade exploded, providing economic opportunities for whites involved in many aspects of the trade and increasing the possibility of

Due to this, the economy of America at this period of time was centred around cotton and as Clement Eaton stated, 'After the invention of the cotton gin in 1793, the tempo of life in the South quickened.' The industry was able to achieve large profits through the use of slaves-the cheapest labour of all-and eventually 'Three-fourths of the world's supply of cotton came from the southern states.'

During the time of the Civil War, there were slaves working on farmers, these slaves were not compensated for their labor and services and were producing cotton for a little to nothing cost. Since the Civil War, America has produced an immense amount of cotton and would export it to different parts of the world. America has also had enough workers to meet the exact supply and demand, which follows the demand policy. Correspondingly, the manifest destiny caused for cotton growers further west. Due to the cotton growers going further out west, cotton became easier to grow and easier to protect. These technological advancements simplified the process by which people were able to grow cotton and export it to China for the workers to create these shirts. There are now many subsidiary industries to cotton; industries are always producing new clothes every day. Due to this

During this time period in the U.S. History cotton became the biggest agricultural product in the world. The states that produced it where able to pour out loads and

After the invention of the cotton gin, the yield of raw cotton doubled each decade after 1800. Demand was fueled by other inventions of the Industrial Revolution, such as the machines to spin and weave it and the steamboat to transport it. By mid-century America was growing three-quarters of the world's supply of cotton, most

The crops grown on plantations and the slavery system changed significantly between 1800-1860. In the early 1800s, plantation owners grew a variety of crops – cotton, sugar, rice, tobacco, hemp, and wheat. Cotton had the potential to be profitable, but there was wasn’t much area where cotton could be grown. However, the invention of the cotton gin changed this - the cotton gin was a machine that made it much easier to separate the seeds from cotton. Plantation owners could now grow lots of cotton; this would make them a lot of money. As a result, slavery became more important because the demand for cotton was high worldwide. By 1860, cotton was the main export of the south. The invention of the cotton gin and high demand for cotton changed

The cause of the growth of the Cotton Kingdom was the early industrial revolution. The new aspect of cotton associated with the early industrial revolution was producing cotton textiles with water-powered spinning and weaving machinery. The demand of cotton was immense, yet the production of cotton was slowed by the task of removing the seeds after picking the plant. Eli Whitney changed the outlook on cotton production in 1793 with his invention of the cotton gin, which used rollers and brushes to quickly separate the seeds from the cotton. The rising demand of cotton and the new lands in the West created opportunities for the planters to monopolize the land that they wanted.

The South felt this through the Market Revolution in the cotton industry, slave labor and trade, as well as, in plantations increasing in size. The cotton industry made $200 million in 1810 just before the Market Revolution took place. toward the end of the revolution the cotton industry was making $2 billion in 1860. This is showing that when the market went through changes it benefitted the Southern plantation owners as they obtained more money for their crops. Also, helping the plantation owners make a

We have to take into consideration the other commodities that were becoming global trading items, and not just assume the only item the entire globe showed interest in was cotton. Also, with resources such as steel coming into the picture, that led to new developments such as railroads and better machinery in factors. That alone sped up the industrial revolution by giving more transportation routes and faster production. This being said, we have keep in mind the idea that cotton was a major factor in the growth of capitalism and the development of the industrialized world, however it was not the only factor. No global phenomena can be explained by a single factor. It is the give and take and working together of all the constituents of capitalism that helped shape the world into an industrial one. Although not all countries in the world have had the chance to develop like other parts, the ones that did owe a lot of their thanks to cotton, the commodity that outshines the

labor” (Foner, 393). Cotton not only became the most profitable crop for the Southern farmers,

With Eli Whitney’s invention of the cotton gin in 1793, cotton became very profitable. This machine was able to reduce the time it took to separate seeds from the cotton. However, at the same time the increase in the number of plantations willing to move from other crops to cotton meant the greater need for a large amount of cheap labor, i.e. slaves. Thus, the southern economy became a one crop economy, depending on cotton and therefore on slavery. On the other hand, the northern economy was based more on industry than agriculture. In fact, the northern industries were purchasing the raw cotton and turning it into finished goods. This disparity between the two set up a

With the economic system, the south had a very hard time producing their main source “cotton and tobacco”. “Cotton became commercially significant in the 1790’s after the invention of a new cotton gin by Eli Whitney. (PG 314)” Let