Answer :
The invention of the cotton gin significantly accelerated cotton processing, leading to a surge in cotton production in the South and making it the region's primary cash crop. By the mid-19th century, the U.S. supplied the majority of the global cotton supply.
The Impact of the Cotton Gin on Cotton Production
The invention of the cotton gin in 1793 by Eli Whitney was a pivotal development in the history of the American South and its economy. The cotton gin was a mechanical device that efficiently removed seeds from cotton fiber, which drastically increased the speed of cotton processing. This invention made it possible to process cotton up to 50 times faster than previously possible by hand. Consequently, the Southern cotton production saw a significant boost, with cotton rapidly becoming the primary cash crop of the region. By the 1820s, production had spread to the deep South and westward to areas like Mississippi and east Texas, which began to outpace traditional cotton-growing states like South Carolina by 1840. This increase in production contributed to the United States supplying more than 60 percent of the world's cotton supply. Additionally, the transportation revolution helped facilitate faster movement of cotton from farms to markets, further bolstering the cotton industry in the South.