two - thirds of the world's supply of cotton came from the south.
two - thirds of the world's supply of cotton came from the south.
how much of the world's supply of cotton came from the south?
two - thirds
in the colonial era, small amounts high quality long-staple cotton were produced in the sea islands off the coast of south carolina. inland, only short-staple cotton could be grown but it was full of seeds and very hard to process into fiber. the invention of the cotton gin in the late 1790s for the first time made short-staple cotton usable. it was generally produced on plantations ranging from south carolina westward, with the work done by black slaves. simultaneously, the rapid growth of the industrial revolution in britain, focused on textiles, created a major demand for the fiber. cotton quickly exhausts the soil, so planters used their large profits to buy fresh land to the west, and purchase more slaves from the border states to operate their new plantations. after 1810, the emerging textile mills in new england also produced a heavy demand. by 1820, over 250,000 bales (of 500 pounds each) were exported to europe, with a value of $22 million. by 1840, exports reached 1.5 million bales valued at $64 million, two thirds of all american exports. cotton prices kept going up as the south remained the main supplier in the world. in 1860, the us shipped 3.5 million bales worth $192 million. the mixture of a mexican strand with existing strands of cotton led cotton bolls to open wide like a flat hand at harvest, which dramatically raised the amount of cotton that could be picked per day.
history of agriculture in the united states
section::::independence era after 1820.:search for cotton.









































cotton textiles were britain's leading manufacturing product in the mid-19th century, and most of the raw cotton came from the southern united states. the american civil war cut off most of the supply, although small amounts were available through blockade runners, and through purchases in new york of cotton controlled by the union. it became a high british priority to find new sources, looking especially egypt, india, and to the slave plantations of brazil.









































section::::leading nations.









































section::::leading nations.:argentina.
latin america–united kingdom relations