Question

read the statement from us senator james henry hammond in 1858. \…no, you dare not to make war on cotton. no power on earth dares to make war upon it. cotton is king.\ what does this quote mean when talking about the growth of the plantation system and slavery? the us military owned most southern plantations, so it agreed to defend plantations and slavery. the entire us economy depended on cotton, so plantations and slavery could grow. england owned many southern plantations, so it agreed to fight to defend plantations and slavery. the south controlled most of the government and wanted plantations and slavery to grow.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option:

• Option 1: The US military did not own southern plantations. This is incorrect.
• Option 2: In the 19th century, cotton was a major cash crop. The US (and global) economy relied heavily on cotton, which was produced by plantations using slave labor. So the economic dependence on cotton allowed plantations and slavery to grow. This matches the "Cotton is king" idea.
• Option 3: England did not own southern plantations. This is incorrect.
• Option 4: The quote is about cotton's economic power, not the South's government control. This is incorrect.

Answer:

B. The entire US economy depended on cotton, so plantations and slavery could grow.