The prosperity of the South was based on the production of crops, such as cotton, or earlier, tobacco. The South retained the views of Jefferson, generally denying the industrialization the North had accepted. Factories were fewer, and plantations numbered much more. The South's economy depended solely on the efforts of the slaves. With introduction of the cotton gin, profits in the South soared. Cotton became the largest export in the country, with thousands of tons being sent all over the world. The number of slaves increased, and slave traders profited from the boom of slave purchases. The economic prospects of the South rivaled the industrial North. The South's introduction of slight industrialization proved to be profitable. Combined with free labor, the South could only prosper.
With this prosperity, the South had the opportunity to increase their say in Congress. The industrialization of the North had attracted immigrants, and the South had fallen behind in representatives due to the boom in population. However, with the increase of slave population, and the Three Fifths Clause, the South steadily increased their representation. The agricultural revolution brought about by the cotton gin, and influence from the industrial revolution had an undeniable impact on the economic prosperity of the South.