High School

Which answer best explains the impact of the cotton gin on the practice of slavery in the South?

A. The cotton gin made slavery unnecessary.
B. The cotton gin greatly reduced the number of enslaved workers needed.
C. The cotton gin drastically expanded the amount of cotton grown and the enslaved labor needed.

Answer :

Final answer:

The cotton gin invention significantly escalated the practice of slavery in the South. It increased the efficiency and profitability of cotton production, resulting in an immense rise in demand for labor, particularly enslaved workers, contributing greatly to the Southern economy.

Explanation:

The cotton gin, invented by Eli Whitney, significantly escalated the practice of slavery in the South as it expanded the production of cotton drastically. This invention resulted in an increased demand for labor, which was largely met through enslavement. Cotton processed by slave labor fueled the 19th-century industrial revolution in the United States and Great Britain, while further enriching the plantation owners.

The cotton gin increased the efficiency of cotton processing, making the crop more profitable. As the South produced a bulk of the world's cotton supply, the economic success of the region was heavily reliant on the forced labor provided by enslaved individuals. Significant changes in the landscape were made, transforming areas into thriving cotton fields.

The institution of slavery was essential to the Southern economy, which relied on the cheap labor pool slavery provided for the production of crops like cotton. With the increase in cotton production, the demand for slave labor also dramatically increased. Thus, contrary to Whitney's aspirations for the cotton gin to make slavery obsolete, it sadly had the opposite effect and deepened the South's dependency on the horrific institution.

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