Southern Cotton Kingdom Section Three Southern Cotton Kingdom

A) Rise of Cotton Kingdom

Upper South Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina Tobacco was the main cash crop. The South was divided into two main regions - the Upper South and the Lower South - both with thriving agricultural economies that relied on slave labor.

Lower South Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas Cotton is the main cash crop.

King Cotton Cotton became the most important cash crop taking over tobacco, rice and indigo, especially after the invention of the cotton gin.

Eli Whitney & the Cotton Gin The cotton gin did the work of 50 slaves, which led planters to cultivate more land to grow cotton.

Cotton Production: 1820 and 1860

Florida’s Cotton Kingdom

Florida’s Black Belt The Blackbelt name originally came from the rich soil in the region but eventually became associated with the amount of slaves in the region. Jackson, Madison, Leon, Jefferson, and Gadsden were the leading “blackbelt” counties.

Upper South Tobacco The Upper South concentrated on tobacco, wheat, and vegetables.

Deep South Cotton, Rice, & Sugar Cane

B) Southern industry

Cotton Unlike the North, the economy of the South revolved around agriculture and had little industry of any kind. Money in the South was tied up in slaves and land so they did not have the capital to start new industry.

Southern Industry Some Southerners wanted to begin businesses, but most remained with agriculture.

William Gregg William Gregg began a textile factory in the South.

Joseph Reid Anderson Joseph Reid Anderson had an iron foundry in the South that was used to make ammunition during the Civil War.

U.S. Railroad Lines The South did not have as many roads, canals, or railroad lines as the North. This kept their cities relatively small compared to Northern cities.