What was a direct social consequence of cotton becoming highly profitable after the cotton gin's invention?

The demand for enslaved labor increased dramatically.

Planters began hiring paid factory workers for their farms.

The number of small, family-owned farms decreased.

Many enslaved individuals were granted their freedom.

The invention of the cotton gin was a solution to which specific problem faced by Southern planters?

The slow and difficult process of weaving cotton into cloth.

The time-consuming task of removing seeds from raw cotton.

The challenge of picking cotton bolls from the plants by hand.

The lack of fertile soil suitable for growing cotton crops.

It was mainly traded between Southern states.

It became the nation's most valuable export.

It was less profitable than indigo or rice.

It caused the Northern economy to decline.

The soil was not suitable for growing cotton.

There was very little demand for cotton in Europe.

The process of manually separating seeds from the fiber was too slow and difficult.

European nations offered higher quality cotton at much lower prices.

It reduced the amount of land needed to grow profitable crops.

It made the process of separating cotton fibers from their seeds incredibly efficient.

It allowed planters to harvest cotton directly from the fields using a machine.

It created a new, stronger type of cotton fiber that was easier to weave.