Question

Select the correct answer.

What was the effect of the invention of the cotton gin on the United States in the first half of the nineteenth century?
A.
The focus of economic activity in the South shifted from agriculture to industrial production.
B.
The South became more dependent on slavery, deepening the differences between the South and the North.
C.
Industrialists from the North migrated to the South in large numbers to set up textile mills and shipping firms.
D.
Large numbers of plantation workers in the South lost their jobs and moved north in search of jobs.
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Answer 1

B

Step-by-step explanation:

The effect of the invention of the cotton gin on the United States in the first half of the nineteenth century was most closely aligned with option B: The South became more dependent on slavery, deepening the differences between the South and the North.

The cotton gin, invented by Eli Whitney in 1793, revolutionized the cotton industry by making the process of separating cotton fibers from the seeds much more efficient. As a result, cotton production significantly increased, particularly in the Southern states of the United States.

This increased cotton production had significant implications for the Southern economy and the institution of slavery. With the cotton gin, it became economically profitable to cultivate and harvest cotton on a large scale.