Which of these to make the economic divisions between upcountry and lowcountry regions less dramatic in the early-1800s?

There are no options given, but historically speaking it was the invention of "Cotton Gin".

A cotton gin was a revolutionary invention which enabled people to easily separate cotton fibers and seeds; previously it used to take a large time sorting it manually. The inventor behind this was Eli Whitney. The processing was made easy but still slaves were needed to grow cotton.

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the award is named for an american naval historian and theorist, rear admiral alfred thayer mahan, united states navy who, through his writing, provided stimulus and guidance to those who share in the defense of the nation.