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Unchained Memories
Question 1
In the Unchained Memories documentary, there are several ways through which the
cotton industry assisted in the economic success of America. For instance, cotton was a vital
element in mercantilism because Americans believed that cotton had the benefit of profitable
trading. Since there was cheap and readily available labor from slaves, the demand for cotton
increased throughout Europe and the United States (Silva, 16). The cotton economy facilitated
economic growth in the two continents because it provided ready markets for both raw materials
and finished products. As well, the cotton economy linked new and old worlds in a nexus of
trade and enterprise.
The slave-cotton production system accounted for approximately 50% of British trade at
the end of the 17
th
century. In fact, production of cotton allowed for phenomenal industrial as
well as mercantile growth in the United States. Earnings that the United States got from the sale
of cotton allowed for the importation of capital vital for sustaining the speed of growth (Silva,
16). The earnings also assisted in supplying the means by which specialized geographical areas
were enabled to trade their respective surpluses with each other.
Since cotton had ready markets outside the United States, there was expansion and
improvement of infrastructural facilities such as communication and transport networks in order
