Cotton and westward expansion?

Why did cotton become the major stable crop of the South after the War of 1812? How was the rise of KingCotton connected to westward expansion.

Cotton and westward expansion?
The United States had control over New Orleans due to the sale of the territory known as the Louisiana Purchase which Napoleon had made to the United States. The British contested this because they felt the sale was illegal, as well as wanting the land themselves, in part to halt America's westward expansion.


Cotton became a major commodity because it was wanted by companies that were using it for making fabric. The invention of the Cotton Gin helped spur the usefulness of cotton which in turn made it easier to produce. The open lands of the South, as well as the good sources of water tended to aid the development of cotton as a major product to be grown. Cotton, however, did not play as big a role in westward expansion as might be believed. The Civil War, 50 years later, as well as the Boll Weevil put a halt to cotton as being a major crop in the south as well as other areas where it had been grown.
Reply:After the war, the US took control of New Orleans, which opened up the entire Mississippi Valley and it's tributaries to trade. The departure of the British also meant there was no longer any real impediment to westward expansion. This allowed vast new areas to be planted in cotton, which not only required lots of land and water, but as it depleted the soil, ever new areas in which to plant.

Crooked Teeth