Before the 1860s, British cotton manufacturers eagerly looked for alt…

Before the 1860s, British cotton manufacturers eagerly looked for alternative sources of raw cotton. What led them to do so?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 1

The correct answer is Option (1) → Their long dependence on American cotton supplies

Option (1) Their long dependence on American cotton supplies — Correct. Three-fourths of Britain's raw cotton came from America. Manufacturers worried about this dependence and what would happen if the supply was cut off.

Option (2) The soaring of cotton prices in Bombay — Incorrect. Cotton prices in Bombay soared after the American Civil War broke out in 1861, when Britain wanted more Indian cotton. This price rise came from the war panic and British demand.

Option (3) The outbreak of the American Civil War — Incorrect. The Civil War broke out in 1861. It turned an old worry into panic, but the search had begun well before it.

Option (4) The formation of the Manchester Cotton Company — Incorrect. The Manchester Cotton Company, formed in 1859, was itself a step in the search for new sources. It came out of the worry, after it began.

NCERT (2026-27): “3.4 Then came the cotton boom
Before the 1860s, three-fourths of raw cotton imports into Britain came from America. British cotton manufacturers had for long been worried about this dependence on American supplies. What would happen if this source was cut off? Troubled by this question, they eagerly looked for alternative sources of supply.”