The Worlds of North and South

These flashcards highlight key vocabulary terms from the lecture on the contrasting lives and economies of the North and South during the early 1800s.

deforestation

The clearing away of forests.

agrarian

A person who favors an agricultural way of life and government policies that support agricultural interests.

plantation

A large area of privately owned land where crops were grown through the labor of workers, usually slaves, who lived on the land.

cotton gin

A hand-operated machine that cleans seeds and other unwanted material from cotton.

industrialist

A person whose wealth comes from the ownership of industrial businesses and who favors government policies that support industry.

Industrial Revolution

The dramatic change in economies brought about by the use of machines to do work formerly done by hand.

King Cotton

A term that refers to the dominance of cotton as the most important cash crop in the South, especially after the invention of the cotton gin.

Cyrus McCormick

An inventor who developed the mechanical reaper which revolutionized the harvesting of crops in the North.

Eli Whitney

An inventor best known for inventing the cotton gin, which greatly increased the efficiency of cotton production.

internal improvements

Projects funded by the government to improve transportation infrastructure, such as roads and canals.