holt african american history chapter 4. holt african american history chapter 4 section 1 the slave...

Holt African American HistoryHolt African American History Chapter 4Chapter 4


Section 1 The Slave System in the South

Section 2 Free African Americans

Section 3 African Americans Resist Slavery

African Americans in the New RepublicAfrican Americans in the New Republic


Reading Focus

• How did the increasing importance of cotton affect the South?

• What were the results of the ban on the foreign slave trade?

• What were some key elements of slave life and culture?

Main Idea

As the economy of the southern states came to rely on the production of cotton, the need for slave labor grew.

Section 1:Section 1: The Slave System in the South


Building Background

By the early 1800s slavery had come to an end in all the northern states. In the South, however, the growing importance of cotton led to an increasing demand for slaves. As a result, the institution of slavery became more entrenched in the South than ever.


The Rise of “King Cotton”• By early 1800s westward expansion and new technologies

transformed the nation; advances in cotton production transformed the southern economy and spread slavery

• The Cotton Boom– Southern life revolved around agriculture and cash crops; by 1700s

prices for tobacco, rice, and indigo dropped and farmers looked for more lucrative crops

– Farmers put hope in cotton, but still had to pick cotton seeds from fibers; Eli Whitney’s invention of cotton gin changed that

• Whitney’s invention

– Device made large-scale cotton production possible

– Growing demand for cotton because of Industrial Revolution, a period of rapid growth in using machines for manufacturing and production


Valuable Crop• Cotton became America’s most valuable crop

• Southern farmers shipped vast quantities of cotton to mills in Great Britain to be made into cloth; northerners profited by helping transport and sell cotton and opened mills and factories

• Mid-1800s economy of South based on cotton; “Cotton is king!”

Cloth from Machines • Workers could produce cloth more quickly; demand for cotton soared

• Southern farmers encouraged to plant cotton and huge plantations were established across the South; production rose dramatically

• Area known as the cotton belt stretched across the South to Texas


Slavery grew

• Slavery grew with cotton, which required great amounts of labor

• Wealthy planters relied on slave labor; kept profits high

• Slavery key to new economy

Not all held slaves

• ¼ of white families held slaves• Majority of slaveholders had

fewer than 5 slaves; wealthy planters with over 20 slaves made up small portion

Expansion

• Slave population grew; by 1840 was nearly 2.5 million

• Farmers moved west and south to grow cotton, taking their slaves with them

Planters dominated

• 1866 President Andrew Johnson noted there were 27 non-slaveholders to one slaveholder (in TN) yet slave power controlled the state

Slavery and the Cotton Boom


Analyze

Why did slavery expand into new states and territories?

Reading Check

Answer(s):

As farmers moved in search of new lands on which to grow cotton, they took slaves with them.


During the antebellum period, the time before the Civil War, slave traders met demand by importing new slaves from Africa and Caribbean.

The Slave Trade

Opposition

• Foreign slave trade faced opposition; 20 year deadline was approaching

• Antislavery advocates spoke out in favor of outlawing the foreign slave trade

• January 1, 1808 ban went into effect; but slaves continued to arrive through smuggling and lack of enforcement

Domestic slave trade

• The sale and transportation of slaves within the U.S. continued and flourished; demand meant boom in domestic slave trade

• Breeding slaves for sale was a business

• Bustling slave markets existed in many cities including Baltimore, MD, Charleston, SC, and Washington, DC


Explain

How did slave trades try to get around the ban on the importation of slaves?

Reading Check

Answer(s):

They smuggled slaves into the country and took part in an active domestic slave trade.


Life under Slavery

Slaves and Work

• A slave’s life centered around work on rural farms or plantations mostly

• On small farms they worked alongside the owner on a variety of jobs

• Different on plantations; worked specific jobs; field hands had most difficult work

• Worked six days; few holidays

Living Conditions

• Lived in rugged cabins with simple clothes and small food rations

• After long day of work still had to deal with own needs

• Slaves also worked inside the planter’s household as butlers, cooks, or nurses; better food, clothing, and shelter; worked 24 hour days


Comfort in Community• Slaves turned to cultural activities and to the comfort of their families

• Religion was a key factor of slave culture; provided hope for salvation

• Slaves allowed to gather to worship, often with slave preachers

Religious Gatherings• Services and celebrations were opportunities to socialize; with singing,

dancing, and storytelling as important aspects of slave culture

• Activities often provided comfort and entertainment; oral culture preserved

Spirituals• Common feature of slave religion in the South—spirituals, emotional songs

that often express religious beliefs; used to express joys and sorrows or keep steady rhythm working in the fields

Slave Culture


• Families were another vital part of slave life; most important aspect of lives

• Marriage among slaves common throughout the South• Slave owners encouraged marriage, believing slaves with

families less likely to rebel or run away• Slave families faced many challenges

- Marriages could be dissolved by slave owner- Parents had little time to care for own children- Slave owners free to sell their slaves at any time;

families lived with possibility of separation

Families


Identify

What were some key elements of slave culture?

Reading Check

Answer(s):

Religion, music, dance, and families


Reading Focus

• What opportunities and restrictions did free blacks in the North and the South face?

• What roles did free blacks play in westward expansion in the early 1800s?

Main Idea

Free African Americans lived in every region of the United States in the early 1800s, but in each region they faced different challenges.

Section 2:Section 2: Free African Americans


Building Background

From the earliest days of the American colonies, some African Americans were free. In the early years of the United States, however, the number of free blacks in the country rose dramatically. In 1850 there were seven times the number of free blacks there had been just 60 years before. Nearly 60 percent of these free blacks lived in the South.


Free Blacks in the Antebellum Period

Becoming Free

• Free black population grew despite strong slave system

• Slaves saved money to buy their freedom

• Others served owners who released their slaves from bondage

• But states passed laws making emancipation much harder

Reward for Service

• Thousands of War of 1812 soldiers given freedom for military service

• Others, like slave in Georgia who saved the state capitol from burning, were freed for extraordinary service

• Free black population Increased naturally, as free blacks got married and had children


Lives not easy

• Not slaves, but free blacks did not have easy, carefree lives

• State laws denied them basic rights such as voting, testifying in court, and getting educated

Limited jobs

• Available jobs limited by law; states barred blacks from working certain jobs

• Also needed special licenses for selling certain goods

Possibility of capture

• Free blacks needed to be careful walking down the street

• Slave traders kidnapped them and sold them into bondage

• Still free blacks persevered

Found employment

• Found jobs as skilled artisans or hired out as general laborers despite restrictions

• Laws required free blacks to work and produce proof of employment

Free Black Society in the South


Black Slave Owners

• Through own efforts, some free blacks became quite wealthy; some used money to become slave owners themselves

– William Ellison, born a slave but granted freedom at age 26

– Went into business for himself and saved enough to buy plantation and as many as 60 slaves

• U.S. Census records show about 3,400 blacks owned slaves in the U.S. by 1840– Not all were plantation owners; majority lived in southern towns and cities

where they ran businesses or factories that used slaves as primary labor source

– Black slaves owners not typical slave owners; tried to purchase wives and children who were still enslaved

– Laws made granting freedom very difficult, as a result many free blacks officially owned family members as slaves


Different community

• Most free blacks were escaped slaves who fled in the 1700s to Florida, then a Spanish colony where slavery was forbidden

• This changed in 1763, with the arrival of British

Troops in Florida

• 1816 Andrew Jackson led troops into Spanish Florida; capturing run away African Americans, selling them into slavery

• Free blacks and Seminole Indians had several disputes with army

British took over

• Many blacks fled to Havana; others stayed and hid their settlements in the Florida wilderness

• Settled among the native Seminoles, some as slaves

Florida to U.S. in 1821

• Free blacks guaranteed freedom in the transfer of Florida to U.S.

• But Seminole Wars broke out

• Black soldiers fought against U.S. Army; by 1842 wars were over

Free Blacks in Florida


Blacks in the North• African Americans in the South viewed the North as land of freedom

– Northern blacks did have more rights; including the right to vote for some

– Could serve on juries; had more careers open to them

– Black citizens had more freedom to move around than did free blacks in the South

• Still faced discrimination and gradually their rights were stripped away; few white people considered blacks as equals– Prejudice showed; in Philadelphia not admitted into concert halls,

churches, orphanages, or on public transportation

– Gradually certain careers closed to them

• Antebellum period saw black voting rights in the North eroding – New Jersey banned free blacks from voting in 1807; Pennsylvania in

1838; Connecticut and New York placed voting restrictions on black men

– Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts never limited voting rights for black men


Compare

What rights did free blacks in the North have that those in the South did not?

Reading Check

Answer(s):

In some places in the North, free blacks could vote, could work in more careers, and had more freedom of movement.


After 1800 the United States began rapidly acquiring new land to the west of what was then its borders.

Westward Expansion

Louisiana Purchase of 1803

• Purchased from France; land acquisition doubled size of U.S.

• Jefferson sent out men to explore new territory; black slave named York on expedition as personal servant

• York was first-rate hunter, fisher, and swimmer; worked with Sacagawea in interpreting; had to wait for freedom for 10 years

Settling new territory

• People headed west; African Americans played key roles

• James Beckwourth established pass in Sierra Nevadas; became a chief of Crow people

• George Washington Bush one of founders of Oregon; 26 of the original 46 settlers in Los Angeles were black and one was elected mayor in 1790s


Draw Conclusions

Why do you think many African Americans were eager to move west?

Reading Check

Answer(s):

They hoped to escape prejudice and discrimination by moving to new territories.


Reading Focus• Why did some African Americans resort to violent slave

revolts?

• How did the Underground Railroad allow blacks to resist slavery?

• What were the arguments for and against the resettlement of blacks in Africa?

Main Idea

African Americans used a variety of methods to escape and protest enslavement.

Section 3:Section 3: African Americans Resist Slavery


Building Background

During the Antebellum period opposition to slavery grew steadily. Many Americans did what they could to fight slavery. Some plotted uprisings, others helped slaves escape to the North, still others planned to leave the United States and establish a new life in Africa. What ever their actions, many Americans were determined to resist slavery at any cost.


Slavery took on new importance during the antebellum period. Slave populations grew as southern farmers came to depend on profitable slave labor. Restrictions on slaves became more oppressive and many rebelled.

Gabriel’s Conspiracy• One of first great slave revolts never took place

• In August 1800 white inhabitants of Richmond, Virginia uncovered a planned rebellion organized by slave Gabriel Prosser

• A blacksmith hired out by his owner, Prosser traveled freely and was able to communicate with others; recruited more than 1,000 people to join his revolt

• Gabriel’s plot called for armed rebels to storm the arsenal in Richmond; get weapons to take over the city; eventually the entire state

• The night of the planned attack, rain forced a delay; two slaves exposed the plot and authorities rounded up suspected slaves, including Gabriel

• Slave owners more worried; laws passed restricting the movement of slaves

Slave Revolts


Denmark Vesey• Former slave, Denmark Vesey, encouraged his fellow African

Americans to fight for freedom– Lived in Charleston, South Carolina; purchased his freedom in

1800– Believed slavery was morally wrong; determined to do whatever

he could to stop it• Inspired by Haitian revolts Vesey spent years organizing a rebellion

– Along with 9,000 other black rebels planned to attack arsenals, murder white citizens, and burn down the city in summer of 1822

– Word got out shortly before the attack was to start; officials searched for those responsible; 139 were arrested, including Vesey

• Authorities hanged Vesey and 34 other conspirators


Other Rebellions

Nat Turner’s Rebellion

• Virginia slave Nat Turner led the revolt that almost succeeded; deeply religious, felt was chosen by God to lead his people to freedom

• Launched uprising on August 21, 1831; killed owner and his family and moved on to kill 60 whites

• Only 75 slaves rallied to the cause; soon faced 3,000 whites; Turner captured and executed

• Stricter laws against blacks were passed as white grew more afraid

The Amistad Mutiny

• Captives aboard Spanish ship Amistad revolted against crew in 1831; began the Amistad mutiny which led to their freedom

• Led by Joseph Cinque, the Africans demanded to be returned to Africa

• The ship was captured by the U.S. Navy; a trial was held; and case made its way to the Supreme Court which determined they had the right to defend themselves

• Africans allowed to return to Africa


Draw Conclusions

Why might some blacks have supported violent uprisings?

Reading Check

Answer(s):

To seek revenge on slave owners


The Journey to Freedom

• Very few slaves took part in uprisings; most resisted in other ways– Challenged slavery by purchasing their freedom

– Others escaped along the Underground Railroad

• Earning Freedom– Worked long hours, scrimped and saved to buy freedom

– Lunsford Lane made pipes and raised chickens

– Benjamin Bradley used earnings from inventions

– Alethia Browning Tanner saved money from selling vegetables to pay more than $1,000 for her freedom

• Eventually purchased freedom for 13 of her family members


• African Americans used every means they could to gain freedom; most common, yet dangerous way, was to escape to the North or to Canada

• The network of Americans who opposed slavery grew into a revolutionary organization known as the Underground Railroad

• Organization helped escaping slaves escape their owners and make their way to safety

• The stations of the Underground Railroad were the houses and barns of sympathizers

• They hid escaped slaves, gave them food and shelter, and transported then to the next station

• Individuals known as conductors helped smuggle fugitives to safety; often placing their own lives at risk

• Escape was perilous, often under cover of night to escape detection

The Underground Railroad


Many People Involved

Leaders and Methods

• Harriet Tubman one of best-known conductors

• Said to have threatened fugitive slaves with a gun to keep them quiet

• Conductors often hid slaves in boxes or bottom of wagons

• Communicated with signals and secret messages; possibly using quilts to leave codes

Many Escaped

• 3,000 members of the Railroad were said to have guided 75,000 slaves to freedom between 1851 and 1861

• Levi Coffin and his wife frequently hid fugitives in their home in Newport, Indiana

• Coffin is believe to have helped more than 2,000 slaves escape to freedom


• Some slaves planned and carried out their own escapes

• Henry Brown of Richmond, Virginia folded himself into a box and had himself mailed to Philadelphia and freedom

– With only a few air holes and a pouch of water, Brown almost died on the journey

• Other African Americans used their ingenuity as well

• One slave made sure Thomas Jackson kept warm as he studied for exams; in return the young man taught the slave to read and write

– The slave wrote a pass for himself saying he was a free man; successfully escaped to the North

– Thomas Jackson did pass his military exams and eventually became a famous southern leader during the Civil War—General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson

Great Escapes


Make Inferences

Why were the operations of the Underground Railroad kept secret?

Reading Check

Answer(s):

to keep authorities from discovering the escaping slaves and sending them back to the South


Beginning as early as 1714 some American proposed a plan known as colonization, the resettlement of black people in Africa.

Support for Colonization• First attempt took place in 1815; business owner Paul Cuffe took 38 black

Americans to the British colony of Sierra Leone

• Supporters argued while blacks would never be fully accepted in U.S. society; blacks would be accepted in Africa

• Argued Africa would offer more opportunities than life in the U.S.

• Colonization also believed to be first step toward ending slavery

• White Northerners formed American Colonization Society in 1816; aimed to finance any African Americans who wanted to leave for Africa

• Petitioned Congress to get land in Africa; established U.S. colony of Liberia on Africa’s west coast; by 1830 more than 1,200 black Americans were there

• Eventually the Society sent more than 10,000 blacks to Africa

The Colonization Movement


Opposition to Colonization

Free African Americans

• In 1817 some 3,000 free blacks held convention; rejected idea of colonization

• These opponents vocal in their protests; felt black Americans had earned the right to live in the U.S.

• Objected to the American Colonization Society’s degrading view of black people

• Argued the policy got rid of free blacks who might encourage slaves to rebel

Move Had Complications

• African Americans did not approve of simply dumping black people in distant locations

• Blacks would have difficulty blending into African societies culturally, socially, and politically

• Born and raised in the U.S, would be treated as outsiders; also no financial support in Africa

• While debate raged on; colonization never addressed the moral issue of slavery itself


Draw Conclusions

Why do you think some African Americans supported colonization?

Reading Check

Answer(s):

They believed they would have more opportunities in Africa.

holt african american history chapter 4. holt african american history chapter 4 section 1 the slave...

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