The John W. Anderson Slave Pen

At the end of 18th century America, a series ofevents occurred that forever changed the economic and political status of white Americans. These changes were heavily influenced by the transportation of blacks to this country, the circumstances surrounding their enslavement, and the increasing demand for cotton. America\u27s founders prohibited the importation of enslaved Africans into the United States at the 1787 Constitutional Convention. This prohibition, however, occurred at a time when America was expanding and additional labor was necessary. The invention of the cotton gin in 1793 increased the amount of market ready cotton. The Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the United States, which meant more fertile soil for cotton production via slave labor. These major changes in the American economy meant that white Americans had to continue slave operations in a way that complied with the prohibition against importing slaves