USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Indeed, it was the South’s economic backbone. When the southern states seceded from the United States to form the Confederate States of America in 1861, they used cotton to provide revenue for its government, arms for its military, and the economic power for a diplomatic strategy for the fledgling Confederate nation.

Detailed explanation-2: -The Union, after all, also needed money to fight the war, and any cotton its soldiers could seize could be sold for a good price. As a result, planters who produced cotton generally kept it on the plantation, sometimes hidden, even after it was sold to factors. As a result, official production plummeted.

Detailed explanation-3: -Suddenly cotton became a lucrative crop and a major export for the South. However, because of this increased demand, many more slaves were needed to grow cotton and harvest the fields. Slave ownership became a fiery national issue and eventually led to the Civil War.

Detailed explanation-4: -The Cotton Bureau authorized civilian agents to negotiate the sale of Confederate cotton to Union buyers and made possible the shipment of cotton grown in East Texas near the Red River to Shreveport, Louisiana, where Union buyers purchased it and then shipped it to New Orleans.