It has been said that the “king of cotton” during the time of slavery, was the state of South Carolina. With its rich soils and warm humid temperatures, South Carolina was the biggest and most successful cotton manufacturer in all of the south. Not only were there millions of slave hands making it possible for this commodity to become so significant, but those same hands made South Carolina very rich.
Before cotton became a popular commodity in the south, crops such as indigo, maize or corn, and rice were the main primary cash crops. It wasn’t until the late 1700’s that European planters in the south started to experiment with cotton. Historically, South Carolina is known to be one of the first states in the south to try to produce cotton. …show more content…
Imagine standing in a big field in the middle of the hot summer months or the cold winter days, preparing, plowing, and picking. And if the job wasn’t done right or on a timely matter, then the bare minimal punishment was a back lashing occasion. According to many sources, Eli Whitney was credited for inventing and producing the first cotton gin. However, there has been some controversy to this topic, and rumor has it that the first gin was actually invented in India. “Eli Whitney’s invention of the cotton gin in 1793 allowed sea-island cotton production to take off” and so did the growth of slavery in demand of needing more work hands to run these cotton gins (Spencer, 70). Once the southern economy started to rely on cotton, “slavery now was seen as an institution to be cherished” (US History.org). The cotton gin helped in more ways than one. In one day, a gin could clean at least 5 pounds of cotton. Most planters were lucky if their cotton picks could accomplish half of that amount in a …show more content…
“America’s cotton mills were not only the first units of industrial production in the nation’s history to be equipped for large-scale manufacturing in all the processes from the intake of raw materials to the finish product” (Lahne, 11). “The mill was the first in the world to spin and weave with power machines in the same plant” (Lahne, 11). Because of these spindles and mills, cotton rose in popularity very fast. However, before cotton machinery was invented, cotton was picked and cleaned by
Before cotton became a popular commodity in the south, crops such as indigo, maize or corn, and rice were the main primary cash crops. It wasn’t until the late 1700’s that European planters in the south started to experiment with cotton. Historically, South Carolina is known to be one of the first states in the south to try to produce cotton. …show more content…
Imagine standing in a big field in the middle of the hot summer months or the cold winter days, preparing, plowing, and picking. And if the job wasn’t done right or on a timely matter, then the bare minimal punishment was a back lashing occasion. According to many sources, Eli Whitney was credited for inventing and producing the first cotton gin. However, there has been some controversy to this topic, and rumor has it that the first gin was actually invented in India. “Eli Whitney’s invention of the cotton gin in 1793 allowed sea-island cotton production to take off” and so did the growth of slavery in demand of needing more work hands to run these cotton gins (Spencer, 70). Once the southern economy started to rely on cotton, “slavery now was seen as an institution to be cherished” (US History.org). The cotton gin helped in more ways than one. In one day, a gin could clean at least 5 pounds of cotton. Most planters were lucky if their cotton picks could accomplish half of that amount in a …show more content…
“America’s cotton mills were not only the first units of industrial production in the nation’s history to be equipped for large-scale manufacturing in all the processes from the intake of raw materials to the finish product” (Lahne, 11). “The mill was the first in the world to spin and weave with power machines in the same plant” (Lahne, 11). Because of these spindles and mills, cotton rose in popularity very fast. However, before cotton machinery was invented, cotton was picked and cleaned by