Expansion of Slavery

America now has the land to move west.  With the cotton industry on the rise, the issue of slavery and the expansion of it creates many problems, for both the South and the North.


Reasons for slavery:
-As cotton demands rise, more cotton needs to be grown
-Now that farmers had the ability to clean cotton productivly, the South could make it a cash crop
      -However, slaves were needed to grow the amount of cotton demanded by not only the North, but the world industry
-From 1830-1860 America exported over 50% of the worlds cotton and 2/3  in 1860


North
-Because of the ability to mass produce cloth in mills, cotton was important
   -Britian had a high demand of cotton for their economy
          -On the other hand, in general, the North was opposed to slavery and many were for abolitionist ideas/movement
Example:
New York City had become number one exporter of cotton in the world and their economy relied on the cotton of the South, but they were part of the anti-slavery North.  To secede from the Union was a possibility for the city, for the South leaving would mean no more exportation from them.

Slave population:


-By 1860, 1/3 of the population (in the South) were slaves
-Although the cotton gin made the cotton process easier, being a slave was an extremely hard life
Picture
Cotton production increased dramatically after the invention of the cotton gin. Above shows the relation between the cotton production in thousands of bales and the year. Below shows where the most cotton was produced in the United States in 1860, with the darker areas representing the areas with the most cotton production.
Picture