1619 Episode 2

On this weeks episode of 1619 I learned that the Mississippi River brought so much life, while also bringing so much death. Its muddy waters created soils so rich that they led to the expansion of cotton unlike anything that the world has seen. It also helped to fuel the modern American economy. It helped with the success for the white men. However, it also led to the pain and suffering of black people who got stuck having to do the real work within the cotton industry. I find it interesting that a body of water can control so many different things. The river controls how each mans life will be, either successful, or slaving away doing manual labor. These enslaved African Americans were stuck spending 10 hours just pulling the seeds out of one plant and not receiving any benefit from it. These workers were the reason the cotton industry flourished, yet they didn’t get any of the credit.