Question

Use the the graph to answer the question.

The graph illustrates cotton production steadily increasing from 1790 to 1810, then exponentially increasing from 1810 to 1834.

Which event best explains the trend illustrated in the graph?

A.
the tariff disputes that led to the Nullification Crisis in 1833

B.
the election of Thomas Jefferson as president in 1800

C.
the 1808 abolition of the slave trade in the United States

D.
the invention and increased use of the cotton gin in the South

Answer 1

D. the invention and increased use of the cotton gin in the South

The cotton gin (1793) made cleaning short-staple cotton economical, so planters rapidly expanded cotton planting and processing. That technological change drove the sharp rise in cotton production through the early 1800s.