Commerce in the Antebellum South

1. The Central Figure--The Factor
   1. Reason for Importance
      1. Export, Staple-Crop Orientation of Commerce
      2. Poor Transportation and Communication
   2. Services to Planters
      1. Selling Agent
      2. Purchasing Agent
      3. Accountant
      4. Banker
      5. (Informal) Credit Agency
2. The Credit System
   1. Sources of Credit
      1. Banks
      2. Northern and British Merchants
   2. The Chain of Credit
      1. Vulnerability to Business "Panics"
      2. Regional Dependence on Outside Capital
3. Other Merchants
   1. Urban
   2. Rural--the Country Storekeeper
4. Commercial Underdevelopment of Region--Link to Plantation System