CH. 7-4 THE LAND OF COTTON

AMERICAN HISTORY

“KING COTTON” The “cotton gin” was a simple machine. Many

people copied Eli Whitney’s design The demand for cotton was increasing at

home and abroad The North needed the cotton to fuel its

booming textile mills Overseas, Great Britain had the greatest

demand. COTTON BELT—A nearly uninterrupted band of

cotton farms stretched across the South, from Virginia in the East to Texas in the West.

Growing cotton was a way to get rich relatively quick.

THE SPREAD OF SLAVERY Farming was a labor-intensive enterprise. The first farms were small and didn’t use any

slaves Wealthier farmers bought huge tracks of land

that used many slaves to raise and pick cotton.

Growth of cotton farming directly led to the demand for slaves.

1808—Importation of slaves was banned Slaves were routinely smuggled into southern

ports like Charleston, SC and New Orleans, LA Slaves were cruelly bought and sold by slave

traders

1810—About 1,000,000 slaves in the USA Most lived in VA, NC, SC, and TN 1840—number of slaves had increased to

nearly 2,500,000 Slavery spread as cotton farming spread About ¼ of white families in the South owned

slaves The more slaves used increased the amount

of cotton produced. Powerful economic incentive to maintain

slavery in the South.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE NORTH AND SOUTH Cotton was king in the south but it wasn’t the only

crop. Sugarcane, sugar beets, tobacco, rice By 1840 South was a thoroughly agricultural region. North’s economy was mainly industrial although

there was some farming.

DIFFERENT WORLDS North and South were different worlds Trade and Industry in the North led to urbanization There was relatively little progress in the use of

technology.

North—urban dwellers were exposed to many different types of people and a constantly changing landscape

They viewed change as progress South—the landscape was less prone to

change and the population was less diverse People placed a higher value on tradition Another difference between the North and

South was physical distance. Few Southerners had the means or motivation

to travel to the North.

DIFFERENCES OVER SLAVERY The greatest difference between North and

South was slavery South-slavery was legal and an absolutely

vital part of the economy Few people realized that the differences of

slavery would eventually lead the two regions to fight each other.

THE END