Between 1800 and 1860, the United States became the preeminent world supplier of cotton as output increased sixty …-fold. Technological changes, including the introduction of improved cotton varieties, contributed significantly to this growth. Measured … output per worker in the cotton sector rose four-fold and large regional differences emerged. By 1840, output per worker in …

dynamic approach. Drawing on the records of 142 plantations with 509 crops years, we show that the average daily cotton … picking rate increased about four-fold between 1801 and 1862. We argue that the development and diffusion of new cotton … South's preeminence in the world cotton market, the pace of westward expansion, and the importance of indigenous …