Chapter 10 - Article #4 Flashcards
By 1861, what percentage of U.S. exports was accounted for by raw cotton?
A) 45%
B) 61%
C) 77%
D) 90%
B) 61%
Why was cotton referred to as “white gold” in the 19th century?
A) It symbolized the economic dominance of British textile manufacturers.
B) It was central to the wealth and industrial growth of the Atlantic world.
C) It was the most expensive crop grown in the United States.
D) It represented the end of global slavery.
B) It was central to the wealth and industrial growth of the Atlantic world.
By the late 1850s, what proportion of Britain’s cotton supply came from the United States?
A) 60%
B) 77%
C) 90%
D) 92%
B) 77%
What critical factor made the U.S. South a dominant supplier of cotton?
A) Its fertile land, abundant slave labor, and access to credit.
B) Its reliance on free labor and advanced technology.
C) Its use of state-of-the-art irrigation systems.
D) Its trade alliances with Britain and France.
A) Its fertile land, abundant slave labor, and access to credit.
How did slavery underpin the global cotton economy?
A) By enabling rapid industrialization in the U.S. North.
B) By providing the coerced labor necessary to produce cheap raw materials.
C) By promoting cultural exchange between Europe and the Americas.
D) By ensuring that cotton could only be cultivated in colonies.
B) By providing the coerced labor necessary to produce cheap raw materials.
What action taken by the Confederacy during the Civil War contributed to the “cotton famine”?
A) Banning all cotton exports to force British diplomatic recognition.
B) Flooding the European market with low-quality cotton.
C) Destroying cotton plantations to prevent Union capture.
D) Failing to industrialize its cotton production.
A) Banning all cotton exports to force British diplomatic recognition.
How did the Union blockade during the Civil War affect global cotton markets?
A) It encouraged American planters to switch to food crops.
B) It caused cotton exports from the South to drop to near zero by 1862.
C) It allowed European countries to develop self-sufficiency in cotton production.
D) It increased smuggling of cotton through Mexico and the Caribbean.
B) It caused cotton exports from the South to drop to near zero by 1862.
How did other regions respond to the “cotton famine”?
A) European powers invested in mechanized cotton farming in the Americas.
B) New cotton-growing regions emerged in Egypt, India, and Brazil.
C) The global textile industry temporarily shifted to synthetic fibers.
D) Cotton cultivation ceased worldwide until the war ended.
B) New cotton-growing regions emerged in Egypt, India, and Brazil.
Why did labor remain a key constraint for global cotton production after the abolition of slavery?
A) Fertile land was scarce, limiting cultivation.
B) Free labor was harder to mobilize and control compared to enslaved workers.
C) Industrial machinery could not process non-slave-grown cotton.
D) Cotton markets collapsed due to the lack of cheap labor.
B) Free labor was harder to mobilize and control compared to enslaved workers.
What labor systems replaced slavery in cotton cultivation after the Civil War?
A) Coolie labor, sharecropping, and wage labor.
B) Factory-based textile production.
C) Plantation labor organized by British overseers.
D) State-controlled cotton cooperatives.
A) Coolie labor, sharecropping, and wage labor.
What lesson did cotton capitalists learn from the Civil War?
A) Free labor systems were universally effective.
B) State intervention was essential to maintain global trade networks.
C) Cotton could not be cultivated profitably without slavery.
D) European textile industries needed to diversify beyond cotton.
B) State intervention was essential to maintain global trade networks.
Why was the Civil War considered a turning point for global capitalism and cotton?
A) It led to the decline of the American textile industry.
B) It forced the global cotton economy to adapt without slavery.
C) It severed ties between Europe and the Americas permanently.
D) It ended cotton’s dominance as a global commodity.
B) It forced the global cotton economy to adapt without slavery.
What phrase encapsulates the enduring importance of cotton after the Civil War?
A) “King Cotton is not dethroned.”
B) “The fabric of global trade has unraveled.”
C) “The empire of cotton is no more.”
D) “Industrial progress has surpassed cotton’s reign.”
A) “King Cotton is not dethroned.”
