Question

Based on the timeline, what can be directly tied to the invention of the cotton gin?

A. Economic hardships in the South
B. The spread of slavery
C. Spanish American War
D. Industrialization in New England

Timeline of the Cotton Gin

1600:
1607: Planters began growing cotton in the South
1650: U.S. slave population reached about 700,000
1793: Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin
After 1793: More plantations appeared in southern states
After 1793: Demand for cotton increased in New England mills
1860: U.S. slave population reached about 4 million
1861: Civil War began

Answer 1

B. The spread of slavery.

Explanation: The timeline shows that after Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin in 1793 more plantations appeared in the South and the U.S. slave population rose sharply (about 700,000 in 1650 to ~4 million by 1860). The cotton gin made cotton production much more profitable, which directly increased demand for slave labor.