the slave south american studies i (honors) mr. calella
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The Slave SouthAmerican Studies I (Honors)Mr. Calella
Introduction to Unit
BIG IDEAS◦Sectionalism◦Slavery◦Culture
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS◦How and why did the South rely upon
slavery?◦What effects did slavery have upon both
blacks and whites of the South?
Revival of SlaveryRevolutionary War and slaveryCotton Gin and revivalJohn Locke’s philosophy (life, liberty,
property)◦Used by abolitionists◦Used by pro-slavery advocates
Fear of rebellion, especially in LA and SC
The Negro Problem◦Colonization seen as viable (Lincoln)◦Free blacks 1st and buy freedom of the
others◦1817 Liberia (Madison, Monroe, Marshall)
Cotton Revolutionizes the South
Industrial Revolution creates huge demand
Tropical vs. Southern cotton (frost and seeds)
Eli Whitney’s cotton gin creates a sea change◦50x faster◦THINK-PAIR-SHARE (Demand for slavery
Cotton becomes “KING” cash cropTHINK-PAIR-SHARE (How cotton
benefited entire country: North, South, West)
Southerners push westward into Texas to find more land suitable for cotton
Cotton Boom=Slave Boom
Cotton value makes whites less likely free blacks◦Cotton comparable to oil today
1808 Trans-Atlantic slave trade ends◦Why didn’t the South care?
Free blacks face discrimination in North◦Free blacks in South and whites’ fears
North fills vacuum for South’s finance and transportation needs
THINK-PAIR-SHARE: How did the ownership of slaves exacerbate the South’s economic problems?
The Southern Economy
South does not experience same revolutions as North (Slavery keeps things rural, agri-based)◦Industrialization
Some (flour, lumber, cotton products, iron, rope) Less than 15% of the US manuf. goods 1860 from
South THINK-PAIR-SHARE: How did this stat affect the Civil
War?
◦Urbanization◦Transportation◦Immigration◦Communication◦Education
The Economics of SlaverySlaves become more expensive as
cotton becomes more expensive◦Also sugar, tobacco and rice to a lesser
extentInterstate slave trade=ripped families
apartTHINK-PAIR-SHARE: What effect does the
destruction of family structure have upon a people? Can they quickly come back from something like that?
Only rich owned slaves (1 in 4 families in 1860)
75% cotton grown by slaves on plantations
4 million slaves by 1860 (1 in 3 Southerners was black)
Antebellum Plantation LifeTypical plantation- small, self-sufficient
village◦Main function to grow 1 or more cash crops
Most slaveholders owned fewer than 5 slaves
Planters- 12% of slave owners who owned 20+
Master- all outdoor work and economy◦Overseers, so can focus general plantation
affairs◦Chivalry and strict honor code
Mistress- all domestic activities◦Expected to possess feminine virtues of
piety, purity, chastity, and obedience
The Sociology of SlaveryWhy would masters want to protect/care for
slaves?◦Contradiction (high mortality rate & lower lifespan)
Dynamic social settingSlave family structures (not respected by
owners)◦Over 300K marriages ended by way of sale◦Rape to show total dominance of husband and wife
Firm belief of white supremacy to justify all actsAf-Am contribute to Southern cultureSlave Classes- Field hands, house slaves,
artisans, slave drivers◦Discrimination among slaves; rivalry between farms
Slave Religion
Form of Christianity mixed with African traditions
Owners did not object ◦Offered form of emotional release ◦Also possible propaganda
“Obey your master” “Slavery is in the Bible”
Slaves used religious meetings to advantage◦Organize (escape, rebellions, education) ◦Keep up spirituality (spirits cannot be
enslaved)
Southern Whites’ Views on Slavery
“Laziness Myth”- What did slaves have to work for?
Dawn to dusk with Sat afternoon and Sundays off
Whites convinced that slavery was better than freedom’s uncertainties◦THINK-PAIR-SHARE: Why would
Southerners claim that slaves were “happier” than peasantry in England?
◦Paternalistic views- slaves seen as “children”
◦Proven incorrect during the Civil WarReligious, political and historical
justifications created by whites to justify slavery◦“Christian guardianship,” but kindness not
source
Rebellion and Runaways
Mere threat of rebellion punishable to death◦THINK-PAIR-SHARE: WHY?◦Very rare occurrence
Population stats terrified white Southerners
Nat Turner’s Rebellion- Va 1831, 57 whites killed
Very difficult to escape, especially from Deep South
THINK-PAIR-SHARE: Why runaways dealt with severely?
Underground RailroadFugitive Slave Act
Psychological Effects of Slavery
Broke psyches of blacks and whites in the SouthSome preferred death, most accepted fateSouthern white stereotypes of black slaves made to
justify slavery◦“Sambo” (male) lazy, so must be whipped◦“Buck” (male) aggressive, dangerous, so must be bonded◦“Mammy” (female) maternal, so domestic work
Caring for the master and his family as a surrogate mother
◦“Jezebel” (female) seductive, so could have way with herTHINK-PAIR-SHARE: Negative affects white psyche?Poor whites supported slavery even though they
would never be able to afford slaves, WHY
Continued…
THINK-PAIR-SHARE: Why did poor whites in South support slavery? Jobs? Swell Confederate army?◦Expansion of democracy◦Rich planters still called all shots
(aristocracy)◦Belief of “self-made man” and “American
Dream”In sum, the rise of the “common man”
in Antebellum South occurred alongside the growing power of the planter class, but the politics of slavery helped knit together all of white society.
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