Name
Date
REVIEW
Cotton and the Economy
of the South
CALIFORNIA CONTENT
STANDARD 8.7.1
Specific Objective: Describe the development of the agrarian economy in the South.
Identify the locations of the cotton-producing states. Discuss the significance of cotton
and the cotton gin.
Read the summary and the map to answer questions on the next page.
Cotton and the Cotton Gin
• English textile mills had created a huge demand for cotton, but cotton took a lot of
time and workers to grow and harvest. The most time-consuming task was cleaning
the cotton—separating the seeds from the cotton fibers.
• In 1793 Eli Whitney invented a machine called the cotton gin (short for “engine”)
that cleaned cotton much more quickly and efficiently. One worker could clean
1 pound a day by hand, but 50 pounds a day with the gin.
• This invention changed life in the South dramatically in the following ways:
1. Planters grew more cotton, and cotton exports increased.
2. Slavery expanded to meet the growing demand for cotton production.
3. Cotton growing spread further south and west, eventually reaching Texas. More
American Indian groups were driven off their land as it was taken over for cotton
plantations.
The Cotton Kingdom, 1840
VIRGINIA
Norfolk
KENTUCKY
NO
N
ORTH
C A RO
ROLINA
Nashville
Salisbury
si p
S OU
OUTH
C AR
AROLINA
Mis
ALABA
MA
AM
MISSISSIPPI
REPUBLIC
OF
TEXAS
°N
35°N
pi
R.
TN
EN
ESSEE
NN
ES
sis
ARKANSAS
Jackson
LOUISIANA
Charleston
G E OR
ORGIA
Tuscaloosa
Savannah
Montgomery
ATLANTIC
O C E A N 30°°NN
Natc
Natchez
Baton
n Rouge
75°°W
75
New Orleans
0
0
°W
85°W
85°
85
Gulf of Mexico
FLORIDA
TERRITORY
250 Miles
500 Kilometers
25°°N
25
°W
80°W
80°
80
90°W
90°
90
°W
Galveston
95°W
95°°W
95
Copyright © McDougal Littell/Houghton Mifflin Company
The Agrarian Economy of the South
The economy of the South was agrarian (based on agriculture). The warm climate meant a
long growing season. Farms and large plantations produced agricultural products such as
cotton, tobacco, corn, sugar, and rice. The economy depended on slave labor to produce
these products cheaply. The South was mostly rural, with few large cities.
Cotton-growing
area
CSS Specific Objective 8.7.1: Review 123
Name
Date
PRACTICE
CALIFORNIA CONTENT
STANDARD 8.7.1
Cotton and the Economy
of the South
Directions: Choose the letter of the best answer.
A
a machine that cleaned cotton
B
a machine that harvested cotton
C
a type of alcohol made from cotton
D
a machine that planted cotton
2 Who was the inventor of the
cotton gin?
A
Benjamin Franklin
B
Robert Fulton
C
Thomas Jefferson
D
Eli Whitney
4 What effect did the cotton gin have
on slavery?
A
It made slavery less popular in the
South.
B
It eliminated the need for slave labor.
C
It sped up the spread of slavery.
D
Slaves acquired more rights.
4.0
Cotton Production,
1800–1860
Cotton
3.5
3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0
1800 1820 1840 1860
Source: Historical Statistics
of the United States
3 Why was the cotton gin important to
Southern agriculture?
5 According to the graph, which of the
following statements is true?
A
It transformed the way that clothing
was produced.
B
It made it much cheaper to produce
cotton.
A
From 1820 to 1840, cotton production
increased slightly.
C
It made slaves unnecessary on cotton
plantations.
B
In 1820, more than a million bales of
cotton were produced.
D
It made it possible for cotton to be
grown in colder climates.
C
Cotton production in 1840 was less
than one million bales.
D
From 1840 to 1860, cotton production
more than doubled.
124 CSS Specific Objective 8.7.1: Practice
Copyright © McDougal Littell/Houghton Mifflin Company
What was the cotton gin?
Bales of cotton (in millions)
1