Cotton Belt (region)

Cotton Belt (region)
For the railroad called "Cotton Belt," see St. Louis Southwestern Railway.

Cotton Belt is a term applied to a region of the southern United States where cotton was the predominant cash crop from the late 18th century into the 20th century.[1]

Before the invention of the cotton gin in 1793, cotton production was limited to coastal plain areas of South Carolina and Georgia,[1] and, on a smaller scale, along the lower Mississippi River.[2] After 1793 the Natchez District rapidly became the leading cotton-producing region. Natchez planters developed new cotton plant hybrids and a mechanized system that fueled the spread of the cotton plantation system throughout the Old Southeast.[2][3]

The Cotton Belt states

By the middle of the 19th century, the Cotton Belt extended from Virginia to eastern Texas. The most intensive cotton production occurred in Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi, together with parts of Florida, Louisiana and Texas. High productivity depended on the plantation system and slavery combined with fertile soils and a favorable climate.[4] After the Civil War, sharecropping replaced slavery as the primary source of labor.[4] Cotton production in the region declined in the 20th century due to soil depletion, the boll weevil, and social changes in the region.[1][4] Cotton is still grown in parts of the region, but agricultural land in the region is now used primarily for crops such as corn, wheat, soybeans, and peanuts; livestock; and commercial timber production.[1] Rice has also become a very valuable agricultural crop in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Eastern Texas.

Contents

See also

  • Belt regions of the United States

'

References

General

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d Cotton Belt, The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed.
  2. ^ a b Meinig, D.W. (1993). The Shaping of America: A Geographical Perspective on 500 Years of History, Volume 2: Continental America, 1800-1867. Yale University Press. pp. 286–288. ISBN 0-300-05658-3. 
  3. ^ Moore, John Hebron (1988). The emergence of the Cotton Kingdom in the Old Southwest: Mississippi, 1770-1860. LSU Press. pp. 4–13, 117, 286–287. ISBN 9780807114049. http://books.google.com/books?id=YI-M2q99VIcC&pg=PA4. Retrieved 23 March 2011. 
  4. ^ a b c Cotton Belt, Research Machines plc 2004

Coordinates: 32°N 83°W / 32°N 83°W / 32; -83



Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Cotton Belt — may refer to: Cotton Belt (region), a term applied to a region of the southern United States St. Louis Southwestern Railway, commonly known as the Cotton Belt Railroad Cotton Belt Rail Line, a commuter rail line under development in the Dallas –… …   Wikipedia

  • Cotton Belt — ☆ Cotton Belt region in S and SE U.S., extending from Texas to the Carolinas, where much cotton is grown …   English World dictionary

  • Cotton Belt, the — Cotton ,Belt, the the main cotton growing region of the U.S., in the southeast of the country …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • Cotton Belt — Der Cotton Belt Der Cotton Belt ist eine Belt Region im Süden der USA, in der im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert hauptsächlich Baumwolle angepflanzt wurde. Der Cotton Belt liegt ganz oder teilweise in folgenden Staaten: North Carolina, South Carolina,… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Cotton Belt — (sometimes l.c.) the part of the southern U.S. where cotton is grown, originally Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi, but now often extended to include parts of Texas and California. [1870 75, Amer.] * * * Agricultural region of the southeastern… …   Universalium

  • cotton belt — region in the southern United States where cotton is grown …   English contemporary dictionary

  • Cotton Belt — Región agrícola del sudeste de EE.UU., donde el algodón es el principal cultivo industrial. En un tiempo estuvo confinada al sur anterior a la guerra de Secesión, para luego de la guerra ser desplazada hacia el oeste. En la actualidad se extiende …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • cotton belt — Synonyms and related words: agricultural region, arable land, black belt, citrus belt, corn belt, countryside, dust bowl, farm belt, farm country, farmland, fruit belt, grass roots, grassland, grazing region, highlands, lowlands, meadows and… …   Moby Thesaurus

  • Black Belt (region of Alabama) — Alabama s Black Belt is a region of the state and part of the larger Black Belt Region of the Southern United States, which stretches from Texas to Maryland. The term referred originally to the region underlain by a thin layer of rich, black… …   Wikipedia

  • (the) Cotton Belt — the Cotton Belt UK US the main cotton growing region of the US, in the southeast of the country Thesaurus: areas of specific countrieshyponym …   Useful english dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”