The South King Cotton

Growth of the Cotton Industry Before the American Revolution – main crops were rice, indigo, & tobacco After the American Revolution – COTTON At first, cotton was not very profitable – picking out the seeds was time consuming Textile industry increased the demand for cotton

Eli Whitney – invented the COTTON GIN A machine that removed the seeds from short- staple cotton

The Cotton Boom The cotton gin revolutionized the cotton industry Planters – large-scale farmers who had more than 20 slaves – built cotton gins that could process tons of cotton much faster than by hand Farmers abandoned other crops to focus on COTTON 1791 – 2 million pounds a year to 1860 – a billion pounds 1840 – U.S. was producing more than ½ the world’s cotton

Effects of the Cotton Boom Attracted new settlers Built up wealth among wealthy white southerners Firmly put in place the institution of SLAVERY in the south

Cotton Belt Advantages – Costs little to market Harvested cotton could be stored for a long time (unlike food) Cotton was lighter – cost less to transport Stronger types of cotton were soon growing due to new scientific methods Disadvantages – Cotton rapidly used the nutrients in the soil Farmers had to practice crop rotation Cotton required many field hands – slave labor cheaper than paying wages

Slave Trade Congress had banned bringing slaves into the U.S. in 1808 However, the growing demand for slaves led to an increase in the slave trade within the U.S.

Cotton Trade The cotton boom made the South a major player in world trade Great Britain – the South’s most valued foreign trading partner Southerner’s also sold tons of cotton to the textile industry in the northeastern U.S. Charleston, S.C, Savannah, GA, & New Orleans, LA became major port cities

Cotton Trade cont. Factors – crop brokers who managed the cotton trade Farmers sold to merchants who made deals with the factors Most farmers had to ship their goods on the Ohio and Mississippi river on flatboats and steamboats to get them to port

Industry in the South 1803 – the nation’s first steam-powered saw mill was built in Louisiana 1850’s – there were more than 50 cotton mills Joseph R. Anderson built Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond, VA. – one of the most productive iron works in the nation Only factory to produce bridge materials, cannons, steam engines, and other products Industry was still a small part of the southern economy – investors still preferred land