What Was the State of the Cotton Economy in the South

What was the state of the cotton economy in the South at the time of Lincoln's political ascension?

A) The cotton economy in the South was still thriving at record levels, and although such plans were not in place, southerners worried that Lincoln was determined to prevent its continued expansion.
B) The cotton economy had recently taken a serious downturn, and southerners blamed the rise of Lincoln and his public denunciation of slavery for the lack of people willing to buy southern cotton.
C) The recent invention of new industrial equipment promised to replace slave labor in the production of southern cotton, and as a result, Lincoln felt confident planning to free the enslaved population.
D) Although terrible drought in the South had destroyed most of the cotton crop, the wider American economy remained intact, which led Lincoln to feel confident that outlawing slavery was viable.
E) Because the tobacco industry, which also called for slave labor, had expanded and become far more important to the southern economy than cotton, southern politicians argued for reinstituting the international slave trade.