Southern Economics and Slavery Almost all of the South's economy was dependent on slaves. They needed them to do all the manual labor. So when the demand for Southern goods increased, they needed more and more slaves to do the work. New inventions came around to make work easier. Some examples were- the cotton gin, the mechanical reaper, and the sewing machine, which I will talk about down below. Because they could do work quicker and easier, more slaves were needed to actually pick the plants so they could take them to the machine. This was the reason more slaves were bought/sold in the 1800s than 1400-1800 combined.
Inventions of the 1800s Cotton Gin- The cotton gin was a machine that separated cotton from it's seeds by rolling the cotton through it. It also has a grid, which prevents cotton from getting through with the seeds. It was invented by Eli Whitney in 1793. Because of this invention, the demand for slaves went up because more slaves were needed to pick the cotton.
Mechanical Reaper- The mechanical reaper was invented by Cyrus McCormick in 1837. It is used to cut and gather crops when they are ripe. Because this was invented, more slaves were needed to actually plant the crops.
Sewing Machine- The sewing machine was invented in 1845 by Elias Howe. It is used to stitch fabrics together by thread. The demand for slaves went up after this was invented because more slaves were needed to pick cotton, man the cotton gin, and then use the sewing machine.
Slavery- Against Our Morals Another reason slavery was a cause was that people in the North hated slavery. Some people even spoke out against slavery and worked to fight it. They were called abolitionists. They firmly believed in equality of everyone and said slavery was unconstitutional, because in the Constitution it was stated that life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness was for everyone, regardless of race. People who wanted to free slaves set up chain of safe houses leading to the North that slaves could hide in. This was called the Underground Railroad.
Vocabulary- abolitionist- opponent of slavery Underground Railroad- a secret network of safe houses by which a fugitive slave could be smuggled out of the South by dependent- not self-reliant; needing to rely on something manual- physical; use of hands