Slavery & the Economy Slides (25-26)

Multiple Choice

Which of the following statements best explains why the American South became a major producer of cotton in the 1830s and 1840s?

• The climate was ideal for growing cotton and labor was available through slavery.

• The government subsidized cotton farming in the South.

• Cotton was easier to grow than other crops in the North.

• Northern states had more advanced technology for cotton production.

Multiple Choice

How did the labor of enslaved people contribute to the profitability of cotton production in the South?

• They operated cotton gins only

• They picked and ginned cotton by hand, increasing the amount of cotton fiber collected

• They transported cotton to markets

• They managed cotton plantations

Multiple Choice

Which of the following statements about cotton exports in the South before the Civil War is correct?

• Cotton made up less than 10% of American exports by 1860

• The South earned about $192 million from cotton exports before the Civil War

• Cotton was not a significant crop in the South

• By 1860, cotton exports accounted for 25% of American exports

Open Ended

Explain the relationship between cotton production and the economy of the American South before the Civil War.

Multiple Choice

Based on the maps and graphs, how did the spread of cotton plantations relate to the spread of slavery in the United States between 1790 and 1860?

• The spread of cotton plantations and slavery occurred in different regions.

• Slavery spread to areas where cotton was not grown.

• The spread of cotton plantations and slavery largely overlapped in the Southern United States.

• Slavery decreased as cotton plantations increased.

Multiple Choice

Which of these best completes the diagram above?

• The demand for slaves increases in the South.

• More textile factories are established in the South.

• The number of European immigrants arriving at southern port cities increases.

• More tobacco and food crops are cultivated on southern plantation.

Multiple Select

Which of the following factors contributed to the expansion of slavery in the United States during the 19th century? Select all that apply.

• The invention of the cotton gin

• Decrease in cotton demand

• Expansion of cotton plantations

• Abolition of slavery

Open Ended

Based on the maps, describe how the spread of cotton plantations and slavery changed between 1790 and 1860.

Multiple Choice

How did the invention of the cotton gin impact both the percentage of US exports comprised of cotton and the US slave population between 1800 and 1860?

• It decreased both cotton exports and the slave population.

• It increased cotton exports but decreased the slave population.

• It increased both cotton exports and the slave population.

• It had no impact on either cotton exports or the slave population.

Multiple Choice

The cotton gin was a machine. Machines are supposed to reduce the need for human labor. Why did the OPPOSITE happen in the case of the cotton gin?

• The cotton gin led more people to get into the cotton business as it became more profitable, leading to more plantations and therefore increased number of enslaved people.

• The cotton gin increased the efficiency of existing labor, not the amount.
• The cotton gin was designed to eliminate the need for any labor.
• The cotton gin made cotton farming easier, reducing labor needs.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following statements best explains why cotton was considered 'King' in the American South during the 1830s and 1840s?

• Cotton was the only crop grown in the South.

• Three quarters of the world's cotton came from the American South.

• Cotton was easy to harvest and process.

• Cotton did not require industrial production.

Open Ended

Although slavery and cotton plantations was predominantly in the South, how might have the economic development of the industrial North relied on and benefited from the institution of American slavery at this time?