Chapter 10

Eli Whitney – removed seeds from cotton Made it profitable to grow short-staple

cotton Southerners pour into western Georgia,

Alabama & Mississippi and then Louisiana and Texas

South becomes dependent on slavery for their economy

International slave trade banned in 1808 Must rely on internal natural growth and

internal trade Slavery was profitable for slaveholders

but Northerners are increasingly uncomfortable

Between 1790 and 1860 slave population grew from 700,000 to four million

More women were breastfeeding for a year leading to higher survival rates for infants

Cotton economy lead to more families being separated

Families separated because it was profitable

Cotton brought international capital that helped finance Northern industry and trade

South lagged behind in urban population, industrialization, canals and railroads

By 1850, Mississippi and South Carolina had more slaves than whites

“Cotton is King” “King Cotton” Spread slavery across South as people

moved west Huge profits for British textile

manufacturers Accumulation of capital for industry in

the North Land speculation – booms and busts in

the economy – Indians pushed out of the way

Distinctive culture developed Lived in one-room cabins with dirt floors

and few furnishings Received essentials for survival – food,

clothing Often had to supplement with their own

efforts

Life expectancy significantly lower than whites

Slaves had to learn to avoid punishments and flatter whites

Pretending to be happy, loyal & stupid

Whites generally believed this was real loyalty and admiration

Often had to sacrifice their own family to care for the master’s family

Better food and clothing More information about laws and policies

of whites Gossip and news from other plantations

Needed on plantations as blacksmiths, coopers, grooms and drivers

Furniture makers and general carpentry Shoe makers Longshoremen – load & unload boats Some worked in cities and had to turn

over pay to masters Tredegar Iron Works – factory for slaves

Under constant white supervison 75% were field hands Worked all day – sunup to sundown Performed heavy labor

Slavery was more brutal in the lower South – Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana Black belt – more rich soil than the worn out soil in VA and Carolinas

No hope of escape – most who escaped did so from the upper South where states bordered a free state

Underground Railroad – Harriet Tubman

Slave marriage not recognized by law and not always respected by masters

Marriages were more equal between husband and wife than white marriages

Parents tried to give children a supportive network

Separated children got support from other slave families and friends – “fictive kin”

The Great Awakenings had converted many slaves

African religions were not allowed Whites hoped Christianity would make

slaves more obedient Slaves likened spiritual freedom with

physical freedom – the “promised land” and Moses leading his people from bondage were popular

More common than running away were other forms of resistance

Running away close to home Work slowdowns Faking sick Damaging tools Arson Stealing

Gabriel Prosser – 1800 – blacksmith in Virginia

Recruited about 1000 slaves and stockpiled weapons

Betrayed by a follower and captured and hanged Denmark Vesey – 1822 – Free black – SC Organized in small independent cells Betrayed before plan could launch Nat Turner – only plot carried out – religious

visions Killed between 55 -6 0 whites Captured and hanged

By 1860, nearly 250,000 free black people

Most lived in countryside in upper South working as tenants or farm laborers

In cities there were more free black artisans

Free Blacks lacked basic civil rights Couldn’t be witnesses in court Couldn’t vote or make contracts

White - Merchants, Bankers, Lawyers Part of selling crops to the world market Lived in cities – shipping centers Viewed as money grubbing and

dependent by the planters Many invested in land and slaves

2/3rds of all whites in the South lived in non-slaveholding families

Self-sufficient farmers with strong sense of community – bartering

Some owned slaves – in & out of slave owning depending on the economy – instability increases between 1830 and 1850

Supported politicians with rags-to-riches stories

Between 30-50% of Southern whites were landless

Marginal existence Laborers and tenant

farmers or overseers Free blacks and slaves

were the only ones below them in the social structure

Most slave owners had only a few slaves and drifted in and out of owner status depending on the economy

Yeoman farmers were looking to advance into the slave owning ranks

Isolated large plantations – needed to be as self-sufficient as possible

Paternalistic view that the plantation is one big family – master was supreme over all

Cultivated an image of gracious living but really required a lot of work to keep running smoothly

See poor whites as a threat to the concept of white superiority

Elegant planter community – felt threatened by the Under –the-Hill community – fear slave rebellions

Planters drive away the undesirables Natchez Under-the-Hill: rivermen,

gamblers, Indians and Blacks

Had little to do since most work commonly done by women was assigned to slaves

Supported slavery for the lifestyle it provided

Sexual exploitation of slave women Some long-term relationships – Thomas

Jefferson & Sally Hemings Children of master-slave were not

acknowledged and remained slaves

Slaves are treated more humanely than factory workers – at least they are guaranteed food and shelter and basic clothing and medical care

Biblical slavery Classical slavery – Greece and Rome Constitution – 3/5th s Compromise Slaves are childlike and must be taken

care of as an inferior race

Gag Rule in Congress – no discussion of anti-slavery petitions

Anti-slavery literature was confiscated and burned

Laws restrict slaves meeting including for religious purposes without a white present

Movements restricted Literacy curtailed

Some whites in South no longer support slavery but aren’t vocal about it

Percentage of slaveholders declines with rising cost of slaves

Widening class divisions