The expansion of southern cotton plantations and of slavery 1793 to 1838
Growth of Slavery 1793-1820:
The 'cotton gin' was invented by Eli Whitney in 1793, before which preparing raw cotton for slae took lots of time and work as the cotton fibres had to be separated from the cotton seeds by hand
The cotton gin helped to quickly separate the cotton which sped up the cleaning of cotton by around 50x
The invention also allowed planters to grow a more seed filled variety of cotton which grew better in the conditions of the deep south
Banks sped up the expansion of slavery by loaning thousands of dollars to the new plantation owners
Plantation owners developed the 'pushing system' in which they used more enslaved people and forced them to work more quickly
After the purchase of Louisiana from the French in 1803, Americans rapidly moved into this area around the mouth of the great Mississippi River I and Louisiana became a state in 1812, joining th USA
BY 1819, land to the west of the river had been added to Louisiana and two more states, Alabama and Mississippi were formed. These 3 states became the deep south and became the heart of what was known as the 'cotton kingdom'
By 1820, cotton made up 42% of all US exports
The Missouri Compromise 1820
In 1819, a battle began over whether states created from the Louisiana purchase would be allowed slavery as both the north and south were concerned that if there were more slave states than free or vice versa, that one side of the slavery issue would be able to control the government through its increased votes
In 1820, the Missouri compromise was created:
Slavery was to be allowed in the land that became the new state of Missouri in 1821 and in the area south of its border as far as the Spanish territory
Any new states created to the north and west of that line would not be allowed slavery
To balance the new slave state of Missouri, the free state of Maine joined the USA in 1820
After this point, new states were added to the USA generally in part of slave and free which maintained a balance of power in the government
1793: Eli Whitney invents the cotton gin, increasing cotton processing efficiency by 50 times.
The cotton gin allows for the cultivation of better cotton varieties in the Deep South.
Banks provide loans to plantation owners, facilitating the expansion of slavery.
Plantation owners implement the 'pushing system' to force enslaved individuals to work harder.
Following the 1803 Louisiana Purchase, American settlers rapidly move into the area, which becomes crucial for cotton production.
1812: Louisiana becomes a state, later joined by Alabama and Mississippi by 1819, forming the 'cotton kingdom'.
By 1820, cotton accounts for 42% of US exports.
The 1820 Missouri Compromise allows slavery in Missouri and prohibits it in new states north and west of a designated line to maintain political balance.