Exploring the Role of Cotton in Pre-Civil War America

The video explores the historical significance of cotton in the American South, highlighting its economic, cultural, and social impacts. It covers the invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney, which revolutionized cotton production, and the subsequent reliance on slave labor. The video also discusses the transportation developments driven by the cotton industry, the post-Civil War economic challenges, and the rise of sharecropping. Additionally, it examines how cotton influenced Southern art and culture, reflecting both the prosperity and hardships of the era.

Who invented the cotton gin?

• Thomas Jefferson

• Benjamin Franklin

• Alexander Graham Bell

• Eli Whitney

What year was the cotton gin invented?

• 1793

• 1820

• 1776

• 1805

What was the primary crop in Georgia before cotton became profitable?

• Corn

• Indigo

• Tobacco

• Rice

How much cotton could an experienced picker harvest in a day before the mechanical picker?

• 750 pounds

• 100 pounds

• 250 pounds

• 500 pounds

What was a major reason for the improvement of southern transportation?

• Food distribution

• Passenger travel

• Cotton transportation

• Military movement

What role did cotton brokers play in the cotton industry?

• Provided loans to farmers

• Invented cotton machinery

• Transported cotton bales

• Grew cotton crops

What did the lien law require sharecroppers to pay their debts in?

• Goods

• Land

• Cotton

• Money

What system replaced slavery for cotton farming labor after the Civil War?

• Indentured servitude

• Sharecropping

• Factory system

• Wage labor

What was a common stereotype of African American men depicted in Southern art?

• Musicians

• Craftsmen

• Heavy drinkers

• Educators

Which artist's work is described as a true-to-life depiction of tenant farming?

• William Aiken Walker

• Lamar Dodd

• Danny Andrews

• Alexander Courtney Morrison