In Episode 11 of Star-Spangled Studies, Dr. G examines how cotton transformed the South and fueled slavery’s expansion. Key topics include:

• Eli Whitney’s cotton gin & short-staple cotton boom

• “Petite Gulf” cotton strain & steam-powered river transport

• Indian removal & the opening of the Cotton Belt

• Domestic slave trade (“Second Middle Passage”) & New Orleans markets

• Southern cities as modern commercial centers built on slavery

• Southern honor culture, duels & paternalistic pro-slavery ideology

• Enslaved resistance: family, invisible churches & daily acts of defiance

• Historiographical debate: paternalism vs. capitalist brutality

Follow Along & Stay Connected

Stay connected with Dr. G and the podcast community:

📘 Facebook

📸 Instagram: @star_spangled_studies

Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share Star-Spangled Studies with fellow history lovers!

Episode 11 of Star-Spangled Studies explores the Cotton Revolution: the gin, the Gulf cotton strain, Indian removal, the domestic slave trade, southern honor, and enslaved resistance.