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Period: to
Southern Society
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Slavery
Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Washington hoped that slavery would fade away. In Virginia and Maryland, they had several slaves freed, but did this did not last very long, though having slavery made cotton the South's leading crop -
The Cotton Gin
Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin while working in Georgia. This cotton gin made getting the valuable cotton and the useless seeds separated. It went from 5 millinion pounds in 1793. -
Slave Costs
Cotton was becoming more profitable, which made the demand for slaves higher and higher. So at this time, a slave would sell for at about $600. -
Cotton Production/Slave Prices Increase
National laws abolished the overseas slave trade in this year. which made illegal trade and interstate trade filled the gap from the abolished oversea trade. -
Sales Rise.
Cotton sales did eventually surge to about 170 million pounds. -
Slave Totals
There was about 1.5 million slaves in 1820. -
American and European Factories
Southern plantations made atleast 60 percent of the cotton used by both American and European factories. Cotton and cotton textiles accounted for over half of the value of all American exports. -
North vs. South
The North had twice as many free people than the South actually did. -
Slave Owners.
No more than one fourth of white men had slaves in this year. -
Travelers
In this year, a traveler in Alabama stated, 'In fact the more fertile the land, the more destitute is the country of villages and towns." -
Industrial Economy
The South missed out on the urban growth that was definitely needed for an industrial economy. New Orleans was ranked among America's top fifteen cities, that was the only one in the South. -
Slave Totals Increase.
From having 1.5 million slaves in 1820, the total amount of slaves went to four million.
