3 chapters across the catalog
The hosts examine the background of attorney Hank Sanders, who was involved in the Sessions case and received a Ford Foundation fellowship to train in Africa. They play a "mad as hell" robocall from Sanders where he invokes "cotton fields" and "Jim Crow" to motivate voters. They flag the term "New South" as a recurring slogan tied to these political movements.
Historian Khalil Jibran Mohammed explains how "white gold" (sugar) and later cotton fueled the rise of American capitalism. The production of these crops created a competitive advantage for the U.S. and generated wealth for Northern banks through investments mortgaged on enslaved people. The hosts argue that the United States as a corporation owes a debt for these state-sanctioned practices, independent of individual white citizens.
The invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney in 1793 transformed upland cotton into a highly profitable cash crop by automating seed removal. This technological shift solidified "King Cotton" as the driver of Southern economic and political policy, necessitating a massive increase in manual labor for picking. The hosts assert that modern America would not exist without the labor of ADOS individuals who fueled this industry.
