TheCotton Belt is a region of theSouthern United States wherecotton was the predominant cash crop from the late 19th century into the 20th century.[1]
Before the invention of thecotton gin in 1793, cotton production was limited tocoastal plain areas ofNorth Carolina,South Carolina andGeorgia,[1] and, on a smaller scale, along the lowerMississippi River.[2] The cotton gin allowed profitable processing of short-staple cotton, which could be grown in the upland regions of theDeep South. After 1793 theNatchez District rapidly became the leading cotton-producing region in Mississippi.Natchez planters developed new cotton plant hybrids and a mechanized system that fueled the spread of the cotton plantation system throughout the Old Southeast.[2][3] The demand by European Americans for land to develop for upland cotton drove theremoval of Native American tribes from the Southeast after 1830. The central part of this area, extending intoTexas, became known as theBlack Belt due to the color of the fertile soil and later the high proportion of slave population.
By the middle of the 19th century, the Cotton Belt extended from SoutheastVirginia toEast Texas.[4] The most intensive cotton production occurred in Georgia,Tennessee,Alabama,Arkansas, andMississippi, together with parts ofFlorida,Louisiana, and Texas. High productivity depended on theplantation system andslavery combined with fertilesoils and a favorableclimate.[5]
After theCivil War and the abolition of slavery, manyfreedman families worked assharecroppers rather than hire out as laborers; this generally replaced slavery as the primary source of agricultural labor.[5] Cotton production in the region declined in the 20th century due to soil depletion, invasion by theboll weevil, development of alternative markets, and social changes in the region as urban, industrial areas developed.[1][5] Cotton is still grown in parts of the region, but agricultural land in the region is now used primarily for other commoditycrops such ascorn,wheat,soybeans, andlivestock; and commercialtimber production.[1]
