The Industrial Revolution and Southern Society

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts from the lecture notes on the Industrial Revolution and Southern Society.

Enslaved African Americans

Individuals who were forced into labor in the South, making up 2/3 of the Southern population in 1860.

Cottonocracy

Wealthy families in the South who earned significant money from cotton production and owned many slaves.

Lowell Mill

The first industrial city in Massachusetts, which hired women, referred to as 'Lowell Girls', to work in textile mills.

Urbanization

The movement of people from rural areas to cities, leading to increased job opportunities as industry grew.

Interchangeable parts

Manufactured parts that are identical and can be used in place of one another, contributing to mass production.

Market Economy

An economic system where private businesses operate in competition and are motivated by profit.

Capitalists

Individuals who invest capital in factories, mills, and businesses to produce goods and generate profits.

Reliance on Plantation Agriculture

The Southern economy's dependence on agriculture, specifically cotton, rice, sugar, and tobacco, heavily reliant on slave labor.

Child Labor

The employment of children in factories often leading to long hours and unsafe working conditions.

Cotton Gin

Invention by Eli Whitney that revolutionized cotton production and increased the demand for land and slavery in the South.