Download chapter 11: cotton, slavery, and the old south

Ines Laoui
7 March 2014
CHAPTER 11: COTTON, SLAVERY, AND THE OLD SOUTH
DQ 2: Assess the validity of this statement: - The South grew but it did not develop.
I. Dependence on Agriculture
A. Decline of Tobacco
o Tobacco prices = frequent depression (esp 1820s-1850s)  unstable market
o Tobacco exhausted land it grew on difficult for growers to remain in business in same area
o 1830s : farmers shifter to other crops
 Ex. Wheat
 Center of tobacco moved west
B. Limitations of Other Crops
o Southern region of costal South depended on rice stable, lucrative crop
o Rice required significant irrigation, extremely long growing season  cultivation was restricted to a small area
o Gulf Coast = profit from growing sugar
 Required intensive labor, long growing time
(a) Could only be afforded by wealthy planters
(i) Faced competition from Caribbean plantations, did not spread far
o Long staple cotton  another lucrative crop, limited to coastal Southeast area
C. Emergence of Cotton
o Shot staple cotton: = new product that prevented a shift to nonagricultural pursuits
Cotton gin w/ short staple cotton
 Harder, coarser strain of cotton that could grow in a variety of climates and soils
 Difficulty of processing/seed removal was solved by cotton gin
o Growth of textile industry in Great Britain and New England  rising demand for cotton cultivation regions established
o Soon became foundation for southern economy ; by 1860, producing 500 million bales per year; by Civil war, was 2/3 of US
export trade
o Drew many settlers, also accompanied by increase in slave pop
II. Slow Development of Industry/ Trade
A. Other Forms of Economic Activity
o Developed much slower compared to agriculture
o Business classes: manufactures & merchants  somewhat important, no major role in economy
o Growing activity in flour milling and textile/ iron manufacturing
B. Non- Farm Commercial Sector
o Still largely used to serve needs of plantation economy
o Esp. important were brokers or “factors” who marketed the planters’ crops
 Worked to find buyers for cotton and purchased goods for planters
o Rudimentary financial system  factors provided planters w/ credit (acted as bankers)
 Planters accumulated great deal of debt  importance of merchant-bankers increased
o Professional people – doctors, lawyers. etc were tied to + independent on plantations
C. Lack of Infrastructure
o South’s inadequate transportation system greatly contrasted w/ North’s advancements
o Canals = nonexistent, roads = crude, unsuitable for heavy loads failed to tie region together
o Most of South = unconnected to nat’l railroad system  main mode of transportation was water
III. Southern Mindset
Southern Plantation
North v. south railroads and canals
development 1830-1850
A. Views on Investors
o Agricultural economy = booming  ambitious investors = eager to profit, no incentive to look for other means of profit
o Wealthy southerners had so much $ invested in land + slaves  little room left for other investments
o Historians though: hot Southern climate = less suitable for industrial development, southern work habits + lack of drive
B. Values and Moral Code
o Southern values discouraged growth of cities + industries
o Liked to think of themselves representing tradition values of chivalry, leisure, elegance
o Considered themselves “cavaliers”, w/o greedy nature of Northern “Yankees”, more concerned w/ refined, gracious way of life
rather than rapid growth + development
CONCLUSION: Throughout the nineteenth century, although the South grew in many ways, it is argued that it did not
thoroughly develop as the North had done. The South expanded with the expansion of the U.S. meaning that it was able to
enlarge the size and number of its farms, as well as the number of slaves it used. However, unlike the North, the South never
industrialized, remaining less modern, less progressive, and far more agriculturally based than the North. In addition, reforms
didn't impact the South until reconstruction because the South had very little infrastructure and was a stagnant society based
on little more than honor and tradition. Although the South grew in size and influence, it did not develop into a more
progressive industrialized society like those of the Northern or Western United States because of its inability to adapt modern
reform, and lack of effort to modernize and industrialize their rural society.