How did slavery affect the developement of the southern economy?

Answer 1

Slavery had been part of Colonial America since the time of Jamestown. As the colonies advanced, on to the American Revolutionary War, independence and a developing nation, slavery became a part of the Southern economy. With slave labor, cotton plantations were able to yield high crop growths in cotton. This helped the US in trade and in internal consumption. In a manner of speaking, slavery helped to build the Southern economy.

Answer 2

Of course slavery hindered the economic development of the south. Before the Civil War, the north and south worked together to supply each other with what either region lacked. The north has a terribly short growing season, and rocky soil -- not a great way make a living trying to farm, so the north turned to indusrty and only kept small farms to supply their familys with food. The south, having so many plantations, infinate amount of slave labor, and for the most part great weather, kept to farming and grew cash crops. That's when a plantation would only raise one or two crops (such as wheat cotten tobacco etc.) for the soul purpose of selling. The south had very few industries since that was their way of life. That's what the south fought to preserve during the Civil War, not only becasue they wanted cheap slave labor, but because that was what they knew.

Answer 3

Slavery provided southern farmers and plantation owners with cheap labor costs. But it also led to economic inequality and disrupted the establishment of a middle class. The middle class is what spurs industry by providing markets for consumer and industrial goods. Without these markets, there is little incentive for industry to grow. Most northern states, which abolished slavery in the previous centuries, had higher labor costs (wages) which led to more consumers of industrial goods. This is one of the primary reasons why industrial growth took off in the north.

Answer 4

Economically the southern states suffered from production of different goods that slave labor used to do for free. Also plantation owners were in conflict among themselves during this period of time, plantation owners with less slaves suffered a great deal on harvesting their crops.

Answer 5

The failure to abolish slavery before it became a mainstay of the Southern economy, caused the South's economy to be extremely dependent on this institution. After the US Civil War, the Southern economy struggled, however, as history soon displayed, slavery was abolished and the South did not fall apart. Clearly, the British method of compensating slave owners when Britain abolished slavery should have been done in the US. President Lincoln proposed several plans to abolish slavery with former slave owners compensated for their "losses".

Answer 6

yes