Why Did The Cotton Suffer From The American Revolution

In the beginning or Antebellum Period, the south and north were recovering from the American Revolution and they both went their separate ways. The northern colonies became industrialized building mills & factories along the rivers, while the southern colonies, began to grow cotton, as a result of indigo’s downfall. In the north, Two types of cotton were grown, black seed and short staple. Black seed cotton was grown better on the coastal islands of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Short staple was grown better on inland farms, but the seeds were harder to pick and it barely made a profit. But this all changed, thanks to Eli Whitney with inventing the cotton gin. The cotton gin is a machine that mimics the hand of a worker and is

To start off with, the life of a slave was miserable. Slaves worked in the plantations picking cotton, so when the need for cotton grew the slave population did too. This was most evident in the upcountry. For instance, “in 1790 the slave population in the state numbered about 107,000” eventually it quadrupled in 1860 (South Carolina Journey, pg. 121). The slaves were also known as the fuel for the economy because they allowed plantation owners to keep the costs of producing cotton down. Also, as the demand for cotton grew, the slave trade grew too. Between 1790 and 1810, proximately 20,000 African and African Americans were brought to South Carolina. Life on a plantation for a slave was easier said than done. Slaves were under the constant, eye of the overseer and were disciplined for many things. Including, being late, not working fast enough, running away, or defying their authority. Punishments included whipping, mutilation, being sold away, or assaulted (female). You might wonder how a human could treat another with such cruelty, it's because they considered slaves property and not human. Other owners viewed their slaves with paternalism, or with a father-like control. Correspondingly, to keep the slaves in their places, slave codes were passed. These codes inhibited a slave to leave without a pass, stand up against a white, read or write, and or have have anti-slavery items. The slave

A slave now worked in different systems called the task system and gang system. The task system was common on rice and black seed cotton plantations and after work slaves had free time which allowed a measure of independence. Under the gang system slaves worked dusk to dawn, and it was much harsher. Slaves were worked to their breaking point and watched over by an overseer. To escape the life of the plantation, some slaves became highly skilled at other skills, which gave them a chance to earn money and buy their freedom. In the meantime, at the end of the day, slaves would sing, play music, help lessen each otherś burdens, teach their children how to avoid punishments, and tell stories, and taught each other how to act to be favored by the whites in the communities they made. Although efforts at dignity and communities were forms of resistance. But the “threat of slave revolts could paralyze the planter class with fear” causing the owners to be constantly on the lookout for rebellion (South Carolina Journey, pg. 124). So of course when they heard of Denmark Vesey’s plan, they were ordered to put a stop to it. Denmark’s plan started out when he bought his freedom after winning a $1,500 off a lottery ticket. He used that money to buy his freedom and to open a carpentry shop. He spoke out against slavery in church and secretly began to organize blacks. In the end, Vesey insisted that he was innocents