The Cotton Kingdom

The phrase "King Cotton" was used before the American Civil War to highlight the economic and political significance of cotton production in the Southern United States. Following the invention of the cotton gin in 1793, cotton became the South's primary cash crop, making up over half of the nation's exports. This economic dominance led to a belief in the South that cotton's importance would ensure foreign support in case of secession.

Frederick Law Olmsted, a prominent landscape architect, traveled the American South between 1852 and 1855. His observations on the impact of slavery on the region were published in his 1861 work, The Cotton Kingdom. This book is recognized as a valuable account of the antebellum South. The "Cotton Belt" is an agricultural region in the southern U.S. where cotton is the main cash crop, extending from Virginia to California.12