During the antebellum period, Alabama was a major producer of cotton, and widely used African American slave labor.
dˈʊɹɹɪŋ ðɪ ˌæntɪbˈɛləm pˈiəɹɪəd, ˌæləbˈæmə wʌzɐ mˈeɪdʒɚ pɹədˈuːsɚɹ ʌv kˈɑːʔn̩, ænd wˈaɪdli jˈuːzd ˈæfɹɪkən ɐmˈɛɹɪkən slˈeɪv lˈeɪbɚ.