Question

The most important crop raised in the South was: rice indigo sugar cotton

Answer 1

Cotton was the most important crop raised in the South because it was a cash crop.

Answer 2

The correct answer is cotton.

Cotton became the most important crop in the South during the 19th century thanks to the invention of the cotton gin. The cotton gin, created by Eli Whitney, was a machine that easily removed the seeds from cotton. This greatly increased the rate at which workers could produce cotton. Cotton became a cash crop in the South, as increased industrialization resulted in the need for cotton for textiles.