ew crop to make farming profitable. They grew cotton in small amounts. Long staple cotton grew only in coastal areas. Short staple cotton grew everywhere in the south. They were loaded with seeds, which had to be removed before making it into cloth. It required 10 slaves to clean the amount of cotton one could pick. Eli Whitney invented a cotton gin. Now one slave can clean out what ten could pick. England’s textile factories needed cotton so the south can sell all it can grow. Cotton became the United States most important export. Slaves had a very hard life. During the 1800’s most of the plantation slaves were field hands who planted and picked cotton, which were the field slaves. House slaves worked as servants in the owner’s home. Other plantation slaves became skilled craft workers such as black smiths, bricklayers, cabinetmakers, or carpenters. Slaves also had a variety of jobs in southern cities and towns. Many worked in factories. Others became construction workers on canals and railroads or worked as dockworkers, lumberjacks, office workers, or riverboat pilots. There were many conditions of slavery. Many field hands worked longer than any other kind of slave. Their workday generally lasted from sunrise to sunset. Most slaves lived in their owner’s home. The owners of the slaves usually relied on punishment, which would end up into lashing, short rations, and threats to sell members of their slave families. The owners were the one’s to hold all power of reward and punishment.In 1860 the election of Lincoln was held. Lincoln became president and viewed slavery as wrong because he believed in the words all men are created equal. The year 1860 promised to a fateful one in American History. The party urging Americans to support the constitution and the union took no stand on slavery. They attacked on fort Sumter. The civil war began in which some people opposed to slavery. Th...
