The graph compares the number of bales of cotton (in millions) produced in a year to the number of enslaved workers (in millions) that year. The data are in this chart:
Year Millions of bales of cotton Millions of enslaved workers
1800 0.1 0.9
1810 0.2 1.2
1820 0.3 1.5
1830 0.7 2.0
1840 1.3 2.5
1850 2.1 3.0
1860 3.8 4.0
The South’s dependence on agriculture is illustrated by a graph showing each Southern state’s share of cotton production during two years.The graph shows the percent share of cotton production that each state held in the years 1826 and 1859. The data are in this chart:
State Percent share in 1826 Percent share in 1859
Georgia 22.7% 15.4%
South Carolina 21.2% 6.9%
Alabama 13.6% 21.7%
Tennessee 13.6% 6.5%
Louisiana 11.5% 15.4%
Mississippi 6% 26.4%
North Carolina 3.1% 3.2%
Florida 0.6% 1.5%
Other 7.7% 3%
The South’s dependence on agriculture is illustrated with a graph that shows the growth of the enslaved population over a 40-year period.
State Number (in thousands) in 1820 Number (in thousands) in 1860
Alabama 47.5
435.1
Arkansas 0 111.1
Florida 0 61.7
Georgia 149.7
462.2
Louisiana 69 331.7
Mississippi 32.8 436.6
North Carolina 205 331.1
South Carolina 251.8 402.4
Tennessee 80.1 275.7
Texas 0 182.6
Virginia 425.2 490.1
Question
Use the charts to answer the question.
Based on the data on the charts, what can be inferred about the states that show an increase of enslaved workers and have low cotton shares?
(1 point)
Responses
Those states used slave labor to grow different crops.
Those states used slave labor to grow different crops.
Those states used additional slave labor in their factories.
Those states used additional slave labor in their factories.
Those states had only just begun to grow cotton and had to increase their workforce.
Those states had only just begun to grow cotton and had to increase their workforce.
Those states were new and data was not available prior to their entry into the Union.
Those states were new and data was not available prior to their entry into the Union.
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1 answer
Based on the data presented in the charts, the most accurate inference about the states that show an increase in enslaved workers and have low cotton shares is:
Those states used slave labor to grow different crops.
This inference aligns with the idea that not all states that increased their enslaved workforce were reliant on cotton production; they may have been involved in cultivating various other agricultural products.
