Southern Plantation Owners

Words: 658
Pages: 3

Plantation owners of the South were wealthy in many ways. “King Cotton,” (the nickname of the cotton crops at the time) could make a poor man rich and an already rich man a king. With this cash crop the South really did not have any economic diversities, but it did have harsh effects on plantation life and their families too. It created large debts, if the prices of cotton were low and also made the South even more dependent upon slavery as well. While the some Southerners benefited from this cash crops, the majority of the Southerner’s development was hindered.
The Southern plantation owners not only grew cotton, but they also grew corn too. Because corn could be grown before and after the planting season of cotton, plantation owners could self-sustain their farms. Slaves and the owners would have plenty to eat. Also these owners could raise hogs from the use of corn to sell at the market or butcher for themselves as well. Likewise, with self-sustaining plantations, there was no need of importing hardly any foods into this part of the country. As a result, amongst the North and the South, the South had acquired twelve of the richest counties of the nation. But what were some of the other cost that helped to hinder their development?
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More land had to be purchased, more people called overseers had to be hired to manage the owners land while he was away. This took a heavy toll not only on him, but his family too. The wives along with the overseers had to keep the plantation running. The wives had to govern their household slaves, watch over the children, keep an eye on the smoke houses, and dairy. The wives had to pack up and move often keeping them from having friends and relatives nearby. With their husbands being gone over half the time, the wives were also lonely. This was no life for any family to