Slavery during antebellum

4.2

Our state

As we have learned, South Carolina is a great place for farming.

The type of soil, climate, and land supported farming (agriculture).

This was a great place for farming rice, cotton, and tobacco.

Slavery became an important part of that agricultural system.

After the war

After the Revolutionary War, northern states began to pass laws that would gradually free, or emancipate, slaves.

The south, however, saw things much differently.

They saw slavery as an integral part of their way of life.

The cotton gin

In 1793, Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin.

The cotton gin was a major invention because it made the process of de-seeding the cotton plant much easier and faster.

Now, instead of having slaves de-seed the cotton, they could put more slaves in the fields picking cotton.

More pickers, more cotton = more money!!!!

Cotton

Cotton became increasingly important to the economy of SC.

Plantation owners became even more dependent on slavery.

As a result of the cotton gin, many small farmers began to purchase slaves to keep up with the demand for cotton.

Farms began to move westward and so slavery began to expand (how do you think the North felt about this?)

The downside

Because of all the planting, the fields were deprived of proper nutrients.

Many farmers were unaware of this problem.

They began to see less cotton produced in their fields because of this.