Answer :
(c) The widespread use of the cotton gin impacted slavery in the South by reducing the need for slaves because the cotton gin could do the work slaves had been doing.
- Increased efficiency: The invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney dramatically increased the speed and efficiency of separating cotton fibers from seeds, making cotton production more profitable.
- Reduced labor demand: As the cotton gin could process more cotton in less time, there was less need for manual labor in the cotton fields, leading to a decrease in the demand for slaves for tasks like cotton picking.
- Economic impact: The increased profitability of cotton production fueled the expansion of cotton plantations, which in turn increased the demand for slave labor, though not proportionally to the increase in cotton production.
Complete Question:
How did the widespread use of the cotton gin impact slavery in the South?
a) It increased the number of slaves because the cotton gin made it possible to grow more cotton.
b) It ended the need for slaves because plantations automated their cotton harvesting processes.
c) It reduced the need for slaves because the cotton gin could do the work slaves had been doing.
d) It ended restrictions on educating slaves because they needed to be able to read and write to operate a cotton gin.