Not only did Eli Whitney’s cotton gin effect the industry of slavery in the south, but it had an...

• Not only did Eli Whitney’s cotton gin effect the industry of slavery in the south, but it had an effect on the culture of the south.– A class structure was created within the south.

• At the top of this southern class system, was the wealthiest – the planters.

– People who owned the region’s larger plantations.

Plantation: An established farm or estate where crops are grown for sale; usually to distant or commercial markets

Most popular type of plantation in Southern America in the 1800’s Cotton

– A census poll taken in 1850, showed that 347,725 Southern families owned slaves (about 6 million people).

• Of this number, 37,000 were planters

• “Planters” those who owned more than 20 slaves

• A very small percentage of the Southern slaveholders lived in the grand, plantation mansions.

– Majority lived in small, cottage-like farmhouses

– Ordinary farmers, who were often referred to as yeomen farmers, made up the vast majority of the southern white population.

• They may have held up to four slaves – most did not own slaves.

• Near the bottom of the social ladder were the rural poor.

– This group was made up of mostly families who lived on land that was too dry for successful farming.

• Were barely able to make it off of hunting, fishing, and little vegetable gardening.

• Made up less than 10% of the population.

• At the bottom of the society were the African Americans

– 93% were enslaved

• In 1850, nearly 3.6 million African Americans lived in the south.

– 37% lived on southern plantations.

• The rice and cotton plantations in the south depended on the 93% of enslaved African Americans.

• Enslaved Africans were organized using two basic labor systems.

– Task System

– Gang System

Task System

• Under this system, workers were given a specific set of jobs to accomplish every day and worked until these were complete.

– After completing the tasks, individuals were allowed to spend the remainder of the day on their own.

– Some enslaved people earned money through their skills as artisans.

– Others cultivated their own gardens while others hunted.

Gang System

• Under this system, enslaved persons were organized into work gangs that labored from sunup to sundown.

– Plowing, planting, cultivating, or picking

– More popular labor system on plantations.

• A driver acted as the director or work leader in the work gang

• Often, the driver was an enslaved person who was chosen for loyalty or willingness to cooperate.– Supervised the progress of the work gangs.– Ensured that the workers were productive throughout the

day.

The Slave Codes

• In addition to enduring a lifetime of enslavement, slaves were given very few legal rights.

• Each state had their own set of laws that were applied to slaves.

– These set or laws and rules were known as Slave Codes.

Examples of Slave Code laws• Enslaved men or women were not allowed to…

– Own land

– Leave slaveholder’s lands without permission

– Own or possess firearms

– Testify in court against a white person

– Learn how to read or write

• Each individual state had their own set of slave codes.

– All were aimed to make sure enslaved people remained property

• Given None of the natural rights described in the U.S. Constitution

• Although most African Americans of the time lived in slavery, some did not.

– By 1850, some 225,000 free African Americans resided in the south.

• Most lived in the towns and cities of the upper Southern states

• Esp. Maryland and Virginia

• A few free African Americans descended from Africans that were brought to the United States as indentured servants in the 1700’s

– Some earned their freedom fighting in the American Revolution

– Others were the half-white children of slave holders, who had granted them freedoms

– There were also some former slaves who purchased their freedom.

• Another 196,000 free African Americans lived in the North where slavery was illegal.

African American Culture

• African Americans dealt with the horrors of slavery in a variety of ways.

– From language, to music to religion

• African Americans developed a culture that provided them with a sense of unity, pride, and mutual support

• Songs were very important to many enslaved people.

– Workers in the field often used songs to pass the long workday and to help their rare leisure time in the evening.

• Some of these songs were more expressive than the slave owner’s knew.

– Some featured secret meanings and codes.

– Some used descriptive lyrics that explained the horrors of slavery.

• Songs also played a key role in one of the most important parts of African American culture Religion

• By the early 1800’s, large numbers of African Americans were Christians.

– The religious services enslaved persons held often centered around praying about their particular concern

• Dreams of freedom or a better life in the next world.

The Presidential Election of 1824

• Four Presidential Candidates…– No more Federalist Party… it had dissolved

• All four candidates were members of the Democratic-Republican Party– Even though all four presidential candidates were from

the same party, they were supporting different ideas and movements.

• Each of the presidential candidates were pushing the agenda or the beliefs from their geographic sections and their states.

• Two candidates out of the western United States:

– Henry Clay of Kentucky

– Andrew Jackson of Tennessee

• One candidate out of New England

– John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts

• One candidate from the southern United States

– William Crawford of Georgia

Election Day Results…

• Andrew Jackson – 99 Electoral Votes– 12 states carried– 151,271 Popular votes– 41.3%

• John Quincy Adams– 84 Electoral Votes– 7 states carried– 113,122 Popular Votes– 30.9%

Election Day Results (cont.)

• William Crawford– 41 Electoral Votes– 2 States Carried– 40,856 Popular Votes– 11.2%

• Henry Clay– 37 Electoral votes– 3 States Carried– 47, 531 Popular Votes– 13.%

• On Election Day, Andrew Jackson won the most popular votes, but none of the four candidates won a majority in the Electoral College…

– A Presidential Candidate needs to win the majority of the 131 electoral college votes (270 in present day)in order to secure the presidency of the United States.

– Jackson did not do this

• Constitutional procedures state that if no candidate wins the majority of the Electoral College, then the House of Representatives must vote in order to name a president.

– Andrew Jackson

– John Quincy Adams

– William Crawford

• John Quincy Adams received 13 votes

• Andrew Jackson won 7 votes

• William Crawford received 4 votes

• John Quincy Adams was elected as the United States’ sixth president.

John Quincy Adams

• Son of second president John Adams• In office 1825 - 1829 • Lived 1767 - 1848 • Born in Massachusetts • Former Senator• Former Member of the House• Former Secretary of the State• Former ambassador to five countries• Survived a train wreck in 1883

– After he was President• “Hightstown Rail Accident”

• During his campaign, John Q. Adams promised to limit foreign actions and spend some time strengthening or improving the United States internally.

• Adams wanted to…– Build a National University– Astronomical Observatories– Fund scientific research– Improve rivers (success of Erie Canal)– Build better roads

• Congress approved the improvement of roads and rivers, but denied Adams’ requests for national academic improvements.

• Many representatives in Congress felt that a lot of Adams’ requests were very familiar to Federalist Party ideas– His father’s political party

Splits within the Party• The Democratic-Republican party was the only

political party in the country at the time of the Election of 1824

– Lots of internal conflicts and arguments began to emerge

• Slavery

• Tariffs

• ***Sectional Differences

• Those who supported presidential candidate Andrew Jackson and opposed President John Q. Adams became known as the Democratic Party– Southern and Western States

• Those who supported John Q. Adams named their party the National-Republican Party – Ex-Federalists – Northeastern States– Will later evolve into the Whig Party