Conclusion

The analysis of post and secondary sources regarding the Southern United States industrilization of the Cotton industry which was dependent upon the institution of slavery, allowed the perpetuated ideology of prioritization of capital over human equality. Following the expansion of the cotton industry back to Eli Whitney’s 1793 invention of the cotton gin highlighted the exponential development that followed it. Whitney’s original 1793 invention may appear less extravagant when compared to modern technological advancements. However, details of the cotton industry emphasize the main barrier to the urbanization of the South- the lack of ability to make substantial and sustainable amounts of capital. The cotton gin allowed mass production of cotton that was met with equal supply and demand creating a cycle of capital. The cotton gin provided an easier and cheaper way to produce profit, through the production of cotton, which encouraged more farmers to go into the cotton industry and expand already established cotton farms. Whitney introduced his cotton gin into the southern states that had the appropriate climate for the only type of cotton the original model. Whitney’s cotton gin inspired new mechanical works to overcome the previous models' limitations. As the southern states perfected their cultivation of cotton, the Black slave population grew by utilizing the slave trade to gain cheap slave labor. Eli Whitney's 1793 invention of the cotton gin exacerbated the chances of cotton industrialization which increasingly grew more dependent upon slave labor. This solidifies the economic dependence of southern institutions upon slavery, posing an ultimatum between the economy and freedom of Black Americans. 

As the Southern economy became indistinguishable from the exploitation of slave labor, people were challenged with increased concerns regarding the humanity of slavery. As mentioned, the Southern United States had begun to urbanize with the increase in economic income and mass importation of slaves to maintain the income of profit. Lively hoods were built upon the industrialization of cotton making white Southerners protective of the institution of slavery which allowed them to build their generational wealth. Some pro-slavery arguments were in defense of the stability of the United States and global economies. Another example of the interdependence between slavery and the global industrialization of cotton. However, this allowed southern plantation owners to dehumanize Black Americans to limit their social mobility. The rhetoric of “King Cotton, “the Cotton Empire, and “Cotton is King” provided a sense of superiority to southern white cotton plantation owners. These pro-slavery arguments were embedded into racist ideals of black subordination that perpetuated the ideology that capital needed to prioritize over the equality of humans.  

The rise of pro-slavery arguments was also contested with Anti-slavery arguments, that directly attacked the cotton industry for its preservation of slavery. These anti-slavery arguments agreed that the abolishment of slavery would threaten the domestic and global economy, which only strengthened the argument of social or economic ultimatum. The similarities between the international perspective of the Southern United States cotton industry and postmodern arguments against slavery, emphasize how entrenched the industrialization of cotton was with the institution of slavery. The globalization of the cotton industry, and its mechanical developments, made other European countries increase their dependency on slave labor and the cotton trade. The outside international perspectives offered context for the egregious growth of slave labor exportation in the American South. Anti-slavery authors in Europe were able to identify the industrialization of the cotton industry as the foundation of institutional slavery. The comparison of pro and anti-slavery arguments showed the persistence and increased barriers placed on Black Americans to keep them subordinate. Due to the difficulty of changing long-established institutions, many of these racial barriers remain in place and have festered into contemporary racial injustices. As people today attempt to dismantle institutions of racism, that were founded upon the institutions of slavery, it too often stems back to the prioritization of capital over human equality.