chapter 9
TRANSCRIPT
TRINITY CHRISTIAN SCHOOLMRS. STEPHANIE HOLLAND
Chapter 11:Life of the People
in Antebellum Society
Antebellum: Before the [Civil W]ar
1790: Georgia was one of the poorest states
(a) Cotton(b) Slavery(c) Other reasons: railroad-building
system, textile mills, lumber yards, leather good factories, metal works, stone quarries
1850s: “Empire State of the South”
1860: Savannah is the largest & most important city!
King Cotton Comes to Georgia
1786: Sea Island Cotton from the Bahamas was introduced into Georgia Grew only on the coastal Sea Islands Long fiber cotton; made a soft, high quality cloth
Short Staple Cotton Hardy inland plant Seeds highly entangled with cotton fiber & difficult to
remove
1793: Invention of the Cotton Gin
King Cotton: Whitney’s Cotton Gin
Enabled the growth of cotton throughout the Piedmont and Coastal Plain: well-drained top soil, 200 day (non-frost) growing
season, 25-45 inches of rainfall/season, dry harvest season
Piedmont Region: favorable to industry Fast-flowing rivers powered cotton gins, textile mills,
and factoriesImproved means of transportation of goods to
the Port in Savannah 1820s: Steamboat Transportation 1840s: Railroad Transportation
King Cotton
Labor IntensiveRequired many hours hard workField Hands: planted, hoed &
picked the crop By HAND – NO machines
Planters needed a ready supply of cheap labor : Slavery
Cotton Production Steadily Increased 1790: 1,000 bales
(mostly Sea-Island variety) 1840: 400,000+ bales (Short Staple) 1860: 700,000+ bales (Short Staple)
Antebellum Life
KEEP IN MIND:
For most people, life was far
different than Gone with the Wind!
Occupation # of White Georgians
in 1860
Farmers 67,718
Farm Laborers 19,567
Laborers 11,272
Servants 5,337
Overseers 4,909
Clerks 3,626
Carpenters 3,219
Merchants 3,195
Planters 2,858
Factory Hands 2,454
Seamstresses 2,411
Teachers 2,123
Physicians 2,004
Planters: 2,858
Landowners who owned 20 or more field slaveseducated, dominant in state gov’tWealthy - but short on cash
$$ tied up in land and slaves – Not bank accounts Many unable to afford antebellum mansions Typical house: plain, unpainted, modestly furnished ; Separate
smokehouse, barn, grain storeroom & outhouse, slaves quarters and overseers’ house
Planters (cont’d)
Plantation Management: Planters managed plantations & many became active
in state and federal government Overseers directed work in the fields Planter’s wife directed the household & work
involving food, clothing and health needs of the slaves
Planters
Plantation Life: Comfortable Home: barbeques, political gatherings Church activities Travel Abroad Frequent Visitors Riding, Hunting, Private Libraries
Children Educated in Private Schools & Academies Sons attended school in the North Daughters attended seminaries in GA
Yeoman Farmers: 67,718
Owned land, usually less than 100 acres; strong sense of independence & self-respect
As much land as possible was dedicated to cotton cultivation Cotton could be readily sold for cash for the purchase
of items not grown at home (cotton and coffee) and payment for debts & taxes.
Grew what they ate: corn, wheat, oats, sweet potatoes, peas, beans; chickens, cows
Yeoman Farmers (cont’d)
Dwellings: Dogtrot cabin: 2 connected one-room log structures,
covered by a roof, with a floor Open breezeway enjoyed by farmer’s dogs
Frame cottageHomemade furniture, clothes, mattresses, quiltsFireplace: cooking & heating
Women: domestic chores – cooking, canning, gardening, making clothes, raising children
Men: farmed, supplied family with meat, maintained farm building
Yeoman Farmers (cont’d)
Recreation: Shooting matches Barbecues Dancing Wrestling & fighting Hunting & fishing Quilting bees Corn shuckings County Courthouse – place to socialize
Poor Whites – 1 in 10
Owned no land and got by the best they couldConcentrated in the pine barrens of S. GA &
mountains of N. GACrude dwellingsKept chickens and a few cattle or hogs
Men: hunted and fished for food to eat or sellWomen: raised small amounts of cotton &
corn for cash
Poor Whites (cont’d)
Looked down upon by everyone (including slaves)
Idle troublemakers with little ambition (Low energy) Poor Diet Diseases: malaria & hookworm
Often Illiterate
Black Georgians (cont’d)
Deprivation of fundamental human rights:Under GA law, slaves had NO political or civil
libertiesSlaves were protected by law from excessive
discipline or murderSlave marriages were not recognized in GA
Some owners allowed informal marriages between slaves
Still, slave families were often sold apart
Black Georgians (cont’d)
3,500 free blacks in Antebellum Georgia Purchased their own freedom or granted freedom by their
ownersUsually located in citiesDifficult situation:
Employed blacks were criticized for taking white jobs / Those unemployed were considered lazy
Whites were suspicious that they were helping enslaved blacks escape to freedom
1819 Report of Richmond County 194 Free colored men, women & children
Women: sewing and washing Men: steamboat pilot, barber, saddle maker, carpenter,
laborer
Black Georgians (cont’d)
West African Traditions + Southern Lifestyles = African American Contributions
Gullah: language spoken in Coastal Georgia (English words, African Structure)
Woodcarving, basket-making, quilting Okra, black-eyed peas, & other dishes Animal Trickster Tales used to teach wit & cleverness Spirituals, Rhythm songs, development of the banjo
Black Georgians
Lowest level of society99% enslaved – lives varied according to
owner and work assignments
Slaves in the Cotton Fields: Worked sun-rise sun-down with a mid-day lunch Exceptions: rainy weather, winter months & holiday
seasons; most owners allowed Sundays off
Black Georgians (cont’d)
Jobs of other slaves: easier life than field hands Household servants, nursemaids, cooks Artisans & Factory workers
Treatment by Slave-Owners: Some were cruel (frequent whippings) Some treated slaves as family members Most were a combination of the 2 extremes:
Slaves were an economic investment – their health was important to their productivity
Education
Georgia’s 1st Constitution called for schools in each county; however, the Legislature did not provide the funding to establish a true state-wide public school system.
Antebellum Georgians felt education was the responsibility of individuals Children were needed to work in the fields Children lived/worked far apart on different farms Roads were in too poor of a condition to allow daily
travel to schools
8
1817: GA Legislature creates a “Poor School Fund” to educate needy children
Parents too proud to send their children “Old Field Schools”: rural areas; one-room
schoolhouses with hired school teacher; paid by local farmers; teachers often under qualified – students received rudimentary education
1850: 1/5 adults was illiterateBest education went to student who were sent
to private schools & academies
Education (cont’d)
Higher Education in Georgia
University of Georgia: 1785: General Assembly chartered UGA 1801: Classes began at UGA
Graduates soon become leaders in state business and politics
1859: School of Law added to UGA 1918: Women are allowed into UGA
Education (cont’d)
1828: Medical College of Georgia est. in Augusta Cholera & malaria still uncontrolled Common diseases, infections & pregnancy constant
threats
1835: Oglethorpe University est. by Presbyterians
1836: Emory College est. by Methodists1837: Mercer University est. by Baptists1839: Georgia Female College (Wesleyan) est.
Religion
Many denominations were represented: Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Lutheran, Moravian,
Baptist, Jewish & Catholics
1796: Great Revival sweeps the South Camp meetings & revivals Blacks & whites attended Church membership increased and new churches est.
Religion
Religion & Slavery Early 1800s: Slavery denounced from pulpit 1830s: Slavery defended from the pulpit – eventually
leads to a N-S schism If slaves attended church, they did so with their
masters Slave-only religious meetings were forbidden by
masters (delivery from bondage) Secret meetings were still held
Religion
Separate Black Churches were founded during the Antebellum Period: African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AME Zion) 1st founded in the North; opposed slavery Real growth in the South didn’t occur until after the
War
Southern Reforms
Penal Reform 1816: New law code abolishing cruel punishments 1817: GA opens a state penitentiary
Criminals were to repent (be penitent) of their drimes) 1818: GA furnished county jails with clothing,
blankets, heat and medical attention 1823: Law passed making it difficult to imprison
people for not paying their debts
Southern Reforms (cont’d)
Reforms for the Needy 1842: asylum for the insane was opened in
Milledgeville
1847: School for the deaf opened at Cave Springs
1852: State takes responsibility for the Georgia Academy for the Blind in Macon
http://www.gpb.org/georgiastories/stories/dr_crawford_longs_painless_operations
http://www.gpb.org/georgiastories/story/king_cotton_and_the_cotton_gin
http://www.gpb.org/georgiastories/stories/wesleyan_female_college
http://www.gpb.org/georgiastories/story/georgias_african_heritage