Cotton changed everything
America's Origin
Coming Soon20264 seasons
Learn about American's history
About America's Origin
Learn about American's history
Season 4
2 episodesThe Problem Was There From The BeginningExplore the deep-rooted contradiction at the heart of early America, where liberty was proclaimed while slavery persisted. This episode examines how the founding questions about who liberty was for shaped laws, politics, and the eventual struggle over slavery and freedom.
New EpisodeCotton changed everythingThe invention of the cotton gin in 1793 revolutionized the U.S. economy by making cotton cleaning much faster and fueling a vast expansion of cotton production inland. This boosted demand for enslaved labor across the South and West, fueling the growth of the cotton kingdom and deepening economic ties to slavery. The machine transformed raw cotton into the country’s most valuable export by the Civil War, while native peoples resisted forced removal from their lands and enslaved families endured immense hardship and resisted oppression. The expansion of cotton plantations heightened national political conflicts over slavery, shaping the nation’s future.
