Final answer:
Slave-grown cotton was a foundational element of the national economy in the 19th century United States, deeply influencing global markets and fueling the Industrial Revolution. It led to the interdependency of the Southern economy on both cotton and slave labor, with repercussions that culminated in the Civil War.
Step-by-step explanation:
Importance of Slave-Grown Cotton to the National Economy
Slave-grown cotton was of paramount importance to the national economy of the United States in the 19th century. By the midcentury, cotton had become the key cash crop of the Southern economy and a crucial American commodity on the global stage. A vast proportion of the enslaved population, amounting to 1.8 million out of 3.2 million by 1850, was engaged in cotton production. By 1860, this labor was producing over two billion pounds of cotton per year.
The economic importance of cotton was not only due to its role as a dominant crop but also because of its crucial part in the Industrial Revolution. As a product that was easily stored and transported, it found a ready market in Great Britain's textile mills and eventually in those of the North in the United States, fueling the economic growth of these regions.
The entanglement of slavery with cotton production meant that the Southern economy's reliance on slave labor was as strong as its dependence on cotton. This interdependency reinforced the institution of slavery and shaped the Southern economic and cultural identity to such an extent that any threat to slavery or the cotton economy was met with fierce resistance, eventually leading to the Civil War.