in the south, the mississipi was the main waterway to transport cotton to the port city of new orleans. in the south, what further improved transportation on this waterway?

Transportation of the two-way river came with the invention of steamboat, or riverboat. In the trans-Appalachian area, river systems were found to be crucial for exporting goods to distant markets.

Explanation:

The period between the end of the War of 1812 and the Civil War was a time of rapid transportation progress, rapid factory growth, and major new technology development to boost agricultural production. Many streams were navigable, leading to larger rivers like Tennessee and Cumberland, which in turn flowed into Ohio, merging with the Mississippi River, flowing past New Orleans port. The Mississippi River was a vital means of transporting agricultural goods and their free navigation from Northwest to the East Coast