This tract would be solidified, however, with the early 19th century invention of the cotton gin. As the text by Maier et al. assert, Eli Whitney's simple invention would have dramatic and transformative effects on American society. As the urban centers of the North turned increasingly to factory operations in the face of immigrant labor and the industrial revolution, the south coalesced around its agricultural identity. More particularly, the cotton

Slavery in America -- Three Compromises, All Compromised Wrong -- the Three-Fifths Compromise, the Missouri Compromise of 1820, and the Compromise of 1850 "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men were created equal" -- except for Black American men, of course, who are only 3/5ths equal, according to the Constitution of the United States. The ringing words about equality, penned by Jefferson, a guilty-minded slaveholder sound far less

Virginia's code lagged far behind South Carolina's of 1696 and the earlier British island codes" (Vaughn 306). These early slave codes also served to further differentiate the appropriate legal rights that were afforded white indentured servants compared to their enslaved African counterparts. In this regard, Leon Higgenbotham adds that "at the same time the codes were emphatic in denying slaves any of the privileges or rights that had accrued to

Kennedy. The American Spirit. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1997. English Working Classes Cheer." (1863) Bailey, Thomas Andrew & David M. Kennedy. The American Spirit. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1997. Slave is taken to Barbados," (1750). Bailey, Thomas Andrew & David M. Kennedy. The American Spirit. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1997. South Carolina Threatens Secession (1832) Bailey, Thomas Andrew & David M. Kennedy. The American Spirit. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1997. Stowe, Harriet Beecher.

Slavery The remnant of slavery in America has caused a great deal of stigma and represents a lasting stain on our nation's history. The issue slavery is a difficult one to explore because of the sensitivities involved and the shame associated with the practice of slavery. There are many issues that can be discussed when delving into this particular topic. Although the institution of slavery was prevalent in many states a

" (McPherson, 13) This is to illustrate that the abolition of slavery did not just threaten to dismantle the institution retaining blacks in bondage. Moreover, the modes of capitalism promised to dismantle the southern agrarian way of life which depended upon slavery. This was not simply because slavery was perceived as something which had to be abolished. Moreover, this was because the nature of the southern economy no longer corresponded with economic patterns defining the United States.