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.