How Did Slavery Shape Social And Economic Relations In The Old South

How did slavery shape social and economic relations in the Old South?

The existence of the Cotton Kingdom was completely reliant on slavery, and the Cotton Kingdom would come to be known as the Slave South. The Outlawing of the Atlantic Slave Trade in 1809 led the roles of the Southern states to change immensely, because the deep Southern states could not buy their slaves from overseas. Therefore, the Upper South states of Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennessee would sell slaves to the Deep South, beginning what was known as the Domestic Slave Trade. The Domestic Slave Trade saw the upper South transform into a region where slaves were essentially produced to be sold to the agricultural, cotton growing deep South. The fear of slavery

Large plantation owners were at the top of the social hierarchy, and used slavery to produce massive amounts of cotton to export. Large plantation owners used slaves almost exclusively as their workforce, so they wanted to keep slavery because it was the source of all their money, and a convenient, easy, and cheap way to have nearly unlimited labor. Yeoman Farmers were independent farmers who generally grew their own food, and rarely some sort of cash crops by themselves, without slave labor. Yeoman Farmers saw slavery as a stepping stone, a way to begin farming cotton and rise up into the Southern elite through cheap labor. Farmers like these were in favor of slavery because they viewed it as a tool to get to the top of the social hierarchy, a decidedly American ambition. Poor whites in the South were generally also subsistence farmers without employing slaves or any other paid or unpaid laborer. Much like the Yeoman Farmers, poor whites viewed slavery as a stepping stone to become richer, more powerful, and gain social status. Throughout all groups, it was realized that emancipation would rock the unity of the South down to its very foundations, and were in favor of keeping slavery intact to benefit the whole region and

The Industrial Revolution allowed the South to easily transport and sell cotton and slaves. Increasing demand for infrastructure and machines, leading to thriving port cities shipping out tons of cotton a day. The mighty Mississippi river was tamed, promising a revolution in transportation, commerce, and trade. Steamboats and steam power were the first steps towards an easier, faster way of trading with the North, and by 1860, New Orleans received and unloaded 3,500 steamboats. The explosion of steam power played a massive role in revitalizing the south, steam powered cotton gins, boats, and practically anything that could be steam powered, and commerce bloomed as it became easier, cheaper, and faster. Southern Urbanization turned the South into less of a spread out, rural and agricultural state, and produced massive powerhouse cities such as New Orleans. Massive population growth led to the explosive growth of a middle class of craftsmen, merchants, and traders as cities and ports were now able to foster these types of practices. Population Growth saw the South become less reliant on the North for some products, but still for industrial products and trade, and the Cotton Revolution increased sectionalism even