Final answer:
A bale of cotton in the U.S. is the unit that is almost 500 pounds. This standard measurement for processed cotton was integral to the cotton trade, with each bale being wrapped and transported for export, underscoring the importance of cotton in the American economy.
Option 'a' is the correct.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the U.S., the cotton unit that is almost 500 pounds is a bale. This unit of measure is used for cotton after it has been ginned, where the seeds are separated from the cotton fiber.
Historically, the cotton gin significantly increased productivity, allowing a laborer to process fifty pounds of cotton a day compared to one pound by hand. Once processed, the cotton was pressed into bales, which typically weighed between four hundred to five hundred pounds.
By the mid 1850s, the expected production of an individual in Mississippi's Cotton Belt had increased, and bales of cotton averaging about 500 pounds each became a standard measure.
Each bale would be wrapped in burlap and transported for trade. This measure was crucial as cotton production became a massive part of the United States' export economy, especially in the Southern states.