Growth of the Cotton Industry Before the American

Growth of the Cotton Industry • Before the American Revolution, three crops dominated southern agriculture – tobacco, rice and indigo • These crops, produced mainly by enslaved African Americans • Before cotton could be spun into thread for weaving cloth, the seeds had to be removed from the cotton fibers

Eli Whitney • With the increasing need for cloth and growth of textile factories, American cotton was in high demand • Eli Whitney invented the Cotton Gin, a machine that removes seeds from shortstaple cotton • Planters – large scale farmers who held more than 20 slaves

The Cotton Boom • From the South of the United States as far west as Texas was considered the Cotton Belt, where Cotton was grown • The south also grew corn, rice, sweet potatoes, wheat and sugarcane. • Textile Mills in Great Britain were the largest foreign buyers of southern cotton

Southern Society • During the first half of the 1800’s, only about one-third of white southern families had slaves • Despite their small numbers, these planters had a powerful influence over the south. Many served as political leaders. • Most white southerners were Yeoman, owners of small farms • Yeoman owned few slaves if any at all.

Assessment Questions • Page 419, Questions 1 a, 2 b, 3 a, 3 b • Page 423, Questions 1 a, 1 b, 2 a, 2 b, • Questions and answers