Before the Civil War, the main export of the Southern states was cotton. Known as "king cotton," this crop became the backbone of the Southern economy and was intricately linked to the institution of slavery. The invention of the cotton gin in 1793 revolutionized cotton production, exponentially increasing the profitability of the crop and ensuring a steady demand from Northern states and international markets, particularly in Europe. This economic dependence on cotton not only shaped the Southern society but also intensified sectional divisions between the North and South, contributing directly to the onset of the Civil War.