"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...

"Essays consider the role of innovative technologies in industries across the South, including steamboats and shipping in the lower Mississippi valley; textile manufacturing in Georgia, Arkansas, and South Carolina; coal mining in Virginia; sugar planting and processing in Louisiana; the...