Which statement about the demand for cotton in antebellum america is accurate? a) an increase demand meant people had more cotton at better prices and fewer slaves were needed on the plantations. b) the increase in demand made the south the center of the u. s. economy and the north was dependent on southern production. c) the increase in demand for cotton meant more farmers in the north began to grow cotton, further weakening the south's influence on the u. s.economy. eliminate d) an increased demand meant higher cotton prices, which meant producers wanted to grow more cotton, leading to an increase in slavery in the south and increased tension between north and south.