Cotton Economy In The 19th Century

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In the South, cotton became a profitable cash crop and by the mid-19th century had become America’s leading export (History.com Staff, 2010). Cotton was an ideal crop in many ways, however cotton plants contained seeds that were difficult and labor intensive to separate. In 1794, Eli Whitney invented a machine that would greatly speed up the process of removing the seeds from cotton fibers. The cotton “gin” effectively and efficiently removed the seeds from cotton plants, enabling operators to produce fifty times more cotton that workers could by hand (Tindall, 20121109). Agricultural developments alongside interconnected railroad infrastructure increased productivity and volume, however, technology changed the economic direction in even more profound ways engendering the factory system.
Work performed on a large scale, in mass production from a single location became known as the factory system. Factories sprouted up throughout the North, increasing the number of Americans engaged in manufacturing eightfold between 1820 and 1840 (Tindall, 20121109). Greater volumes and varieties of goods were achieved through factories, raising the standard of living for many middle and upper class Americans, however life for the poorer classes presented low wages, dangerous working conditions and little job security (History.com …show more content…

New often took weeks to travel along the Atlantic seaboard and even longer to the Pacific Northwest and Europe. By 1830, the express mail system was devised, providing fresh horses for riders at relay stations, although the states west of the Appalachian Mountains still experienced delays, but by 1832, the telegraph was invented triggering even more transformation for Americans. In less than 10 years, telegraph lines connected all major cities, additionally confirming America’s position as a modern and emerging national

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