The Antebellum Era
The antebellum era was the period before the civil war and after the war of 1812. During the antebellum era, Southern America experienced immense economic growth because of the cotton economy. Other events that marked the antebellum period included the growth of separate northern and southern economies and the westward expansion. The South and North economies separated because the two regions depended on different economic income. The two economies prompted significant changes in political philosophies and ideas.
After independence, southern America focused on large scale cotton farming, which required a lot of laborers. Introduction of slavery provided free labor in the cotton plantations. Doubled up with the fertile southern lands, the southern economy grew at a high rate. On the other hand, northern America focused on industrialization. The north had great port cities, which made it favorable for the manufacturing industry. Also, the high numbers of immigrants provided cheap labor for the industries. Therefore, the northern did not find a need for slaves because industries required limited human labor, which was readily available.
Eli Whitney’s cotton gin boosted the cotton economy in the South. Before the invention of the cotton gin, the work of separating the seeds from the lint of the cotton was done by hand; a very tedious and unprofitable process (Whitney, 2013). The invention of the cotton gin increased productivity and increased the demand for cotton. After the Indian removal act, farmers acquired large tracts of land for little money (Whitney, 2013). The stretches of plantations and the cotton gin gave rise to even bigger plantations.
Slave labor also boosted the cotton economy in the South. Slaves were the ideal labors for the vast cotton plantations. The slaves were required to provide labor, and they could not resign nor demand higher wages. Also, their source could not be depleted because all the children born to slaves belonged to their owners (Olmsted et al., 2018). Furthermore, no policies were dictating how slaves were treated or remunerated. Slavery was the backbone of the southern economy because the owners of the plantations made fortunes yet spent little on labor.
Northern America began to advocate for the abolition of slavery and the slave trade. The northern economy was dependent on industries which required minimum human labor. Furthermore, the high number of immigrants provided cheap labor. Therefore, the north did not depend on slaves like the South. As slave oppression increased in the South, the more the north reprimanded slavery.
According to Olmsted et al. (2018), the rebellion against slavery began when Britain closed the international slave trade to allow the abolition of slavery. The northerners based their abolitionist movements on the argument that slavery was a sin. The abolitionists believed that slavery was inhumane and regressive. According to the northerners, if the southerners made so much money from their slaves, the plantations owners were expected to treat the slaves like regular laborers.
The different perspectives on slavery created tension in America. The southerners felt that the northerners wanted to cripple their economy by abolishing slavery. The conflicting ideologies about slavery were one of the causes of the American civil war.
In conclusion, the antebellum period saw the rise of the American economy. As the north focused on industrialization, the South depended on the cultivation of cotton. The invention of the cotton gin and slavery boosted the southern cotton economy. As the South depended mostly on slaves, the north saw slavery as inhumane and started advocating for the abolition of slavery. The debate about slavery contributed mainly to the American civil war.
References
Olmstead, A. L., & Rhode, P. W. (2018). Cotton, slavery, and the new history of capitalism. Explorations in Economic History, 67, 1-17.
Whitney, E. (2013). Correspondence of Eli Whitney relative to the Invention of the Cotton Gin. Read Books Ltd.