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In my paper I will discuss the effects the cotton will have on the amount of slaves in the south and the production of cotton. I will focus on how the cotton gin increased the output of cotton and the global demand for cotton. Prior to the invention of the cotton gin picking cotton was a slow painstaking process.[1] Due to the cotton gin production increased more than ten-fold. As the price to produce cotton decreased and the revenue increased there were more farmers willing to grow cotton.[2] Eli Whitney Patented his cotton gin in 1793 and within 20 years the amount of slaves in the south doubled.[3] The first question I will research will be whether the cotton gin was a major reason for the increase in the slave population, or whether there were other major contributions. The second question is, was the cotton gin both a positive and negative because it increased cotton production but also lead to an increase in the amount of slaves. For this paper it will be important to look into archives to determine how the slave population rose. There is a large difference whether the slaves came over through the slave trade or whether the population increased due to natural reproduction. To determine this I will try to find old contracts of slave dealings and letters. Communication detailing the amount of slaves being sold in the south will be imperative. It is crucial in my research to be able to distinguish between slaves coming through slave trade and those born to slaves. The slaves coming to America and sold show a direct correlation to an increase in demand for slave labor. Another primary source that is critical in the research for my paper will be to look at correspondence between slave owners in the south. I will pay particular attention to families that are noted to have large cotton plantations in the southern United States. For this research I plan to look into national archives specifically those that are heavily filled with antebellum letters and documents that show proof of slave trade as well as archives that have letters from prominent slave owning families. I will also rely on databases such as JSTOR and EBSCO to find population statistics and statistics detailing cotton production.

[1] “Dig Deeper: Why Did the Invention of the Cotton Gin Increase the Number of Slaves?” Tennessee 4 Me -. Accessed February 22, 2015. http://www.tn4me.org/sapage.cfm/sa_id/234/era_id/3.

[2] Imbed.

[3] Imbed.