What did southern plantations primarily depend upon to harvest and plant their own crops?

Southern plantations primarily depended on enslaved labor to harvest and plant their crops. Enslaved individuals were forced to work long hours in the fields, cultivating cash crops such as cotton, tobacco, and sugar. The plantation system was economically reliant on this labor force, which provided the necessary manpower for large-scale agricultural production. This reliance on enslaved labor was a fundamental aspect of the Southern economy and society prior to the Civil War.