This is the second in a series of articles about the economic history of the south. Read the first post here

(quick note-this entry is currently longer than the dissertation chapter I’m working on)

The second period of Southern Economic History, at least where I am arbitrarily cutting it up, starts with the rise of the Constitution in the 1790s. One of the most debated historical topics concerns the Constitution and whether it was written by altruistic statesmen, or opportunistic rich white men. That debate underpins the south’s role in the growing national economy, but I’m not really qualified to waste an hour of your time explaining it.

Suffice to say that although southern statesmen signed the Constitution, there were some issues with the document that would have long term effects on the South’s ability to influence national politics. The structure of the legislative branch would eventually decrease the south’s importance (the Northwest and Southwest Ordinances meant that the South would never have a Senate majority, and the agreement on counting slaves as 3/5 of a person was the only factor that kept southern states competitive in the House). At the same time, while Southerners kept control of the Executive Branch during the so-called “Era of Good Feelings” (the Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe administrations outside of the War of 1812), the Federalist Marshall Court also chipped away at the “Democratic-Republican” ideals of these Southerners.

Who had two thumbs and was a southerner who highly valued independent yeoman farmers? This guy.

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I guess its time for me to lay out all my cards and start earning my keep around here. One of my academic fields is economic history, and I believe that one of the ways that the south is most different than the rest of the country has to do with its particular economic experiences.

A historical map. As if you didn't know what the Southeast looked like.

I plan to make this analysis in three parts. In this outing, I will discuss southern economic history into the early nineteenth century, taking us through the Colonial periods, essentially setting up what will happen when King Cotton ascends to the throne in the wake of the early national period. My next issue will take the story of cotton through to nearly the 20th century, and I’ll conclude with a story of the past 100 years.
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The guys over at the blog Strange Maps have come up with a great display demonstrating a modern effect of slavery on the contemporary US.  Check out these two maps, one detailing 2008 voting patterns, and the other detailing 1860 cotton production (bluer areas represent voting Democrat, redder areas Republican):

Cotton and Voting

And now a juxtaposition of the two:

Strange Map Overlay

The maps kind of speak for themselves, but what is most interesting is the extent of the geographic correlation.  Furthermore, turning to the Panhandle, one can see suggestive evidence for why the Tallahassee area tends to vote more Democratic.