Southern Plantations

Definition

Southern plantations refer to large agricultural estates in the southern United States, primarily used for growing cash crops such as tobacco, rice, and most notably, cotton. These plantations were often worked by enslaved African Americans.

Related terms

Enslaved Africans: Refers to individuals who were captured from Africa and forced into slavery. They were brought to the Americas to work on plantations.

Cash Crops: These are crops that are grown specifically for profit rather than personal use. Cash crops like cotton played a significant role in shaping the economy of southern plantations.

Plantation Economy: The plantation economy refers to the economic system centered around large-scale agriculture found in the southern states during this time period. It heavily relied on slave labor and specialized crop production.