Question

identify three statements that correctly describe the cotton gin and the impact it had on antebellum america.
a eli whitneys original cotton gin required steam power.
b the cotton gin picked the plant out of the ground easily so it could be sorted later.
c the cotton gin helped to make growing cotton more profitable.
d following the invention of the cotton gin, fewer slaves were needed to harvest cotton.
e an effect of the cotton gin was that it caused people to seek more land to the west on which to grow cotton.
f an effect of the cotton gin was that it caused the south to become reliant on one crop for most of its economic success.

Explanation:

• Option A: Eli Whitney's original cotton gin was hand-cranked, not steam-powered, so this is incorrect.
• Option B: The cotton gin separated cotton fibers from seeds, not pulled plants from the ground, so this is incorrect.
• Option C: The cotton gin drastically reduced the time to process cotton, making cotton farming much more profitable, so this is correct.
• Option D: The cotton gin increased demand for cotton, which led to a huge rise in the number of enslaved people needed to cultivate more cotton, so this is incorrect.
• Option E: To meet the new demand for cotton, farmers expanded westward to acquire more land for cotton cultivation, so this is correct.
• Option F: The profitability of cotton made the Southern economy almost entirely dependent on cotton production, creating a single-crop economy, so this is correct.

Answer:

C. The cotton gin helped to make growing cotton more profitable.
E. An effect of the cotton gin was that it caused people to seek more land to the west on which to grow cotton.
F. An effect of the cotton gin was that it caused the South to become reliant on one crop for most of its economic success.