A Slave's Life In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, American slavery was tied to the tobacco and rice crops of Eastern Seaboard states. Because traditional methods of growing and harvesting these crops required knowledge and skill, most slaves during this time were skilled workers. But during the nineteenth century, America turned its attention to cotton, a crop experiencing explosive growth after the invention of Eli Whitney’s cotton gin. The cotton gin was a machine that quickly and easily separated cottonseed from the short-staple cotton fiber. Unlike rice and tobacco processing, cotton production did not require skilled labor. Seizing an opportunity for unprecedented financial gain, many farm owners migrated to the lower South, taking their slaves with them. Life for Southern slaves, especially for those working in the cotton fields, became more isolated and restricted. |
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