CHAPTER 16: THE SOUTH AND SLAVERY

The Peculiar Institution

A substitution for the word “slavery” South prefers this word to slavery Makes slavery sound like a cultural practice instead of something evil

Slavery Post-Revolution

Most thought that slavery would die out soon after the revolution Most Southerners felt that slavery was becoming less profitable, and felt that it was wrong This changes when the cotton gin is invented in 1793

The Cotton Kingdom

Everyone wins except slaves: ! South sells cotton to

England/New England ! Cotton textiles

manufactured, sold for a large profit

! South produced half the cotton in the ENTIRE world!

! South was powerful!

“Cottonocracy”

South was ruled by the wealthiest planters Undemocratic The poor did not have much of a say Fewer programs in the south to help the poor Plantation stereotype was not the norm

Southern Economic Problems

“Land butchery”: overuse of land made it unusable Poor were gradually forced to sell land and move west Plantation system was unstable; relied on slaves who could runaway or die Dangerous to rely only on one crop Slavery discouraged immigration to the South

Slavery Demographics

¾ of Southern whites didn’t own any slaves 1/6 of Southern whites owned less than 10 slaves 4 million slaves in the South by 1860 Slaves outnumbered whites in some areas of the Deep South

Support for Slavery

Most Southerners supported slavery, even though only ¼ actually owned any Why??? ! American Dream ! Poor whites did want to

be at the bottom of the totem pole

Mountain Whites

Some Southern whites lived in the Appalachian Mts. Totally isolated, no slaves Resented other Southerners Supported the North in the Civil War

Free Blacks

In the South: ! 250,000 ppl ! Mostly mulattoes ½

white, ½ black ! Few rights, disliked In the North: ! 250,000 ppl ! Few rights, disliked, esp.

by Irish ! Abolitionists didn’t

necessarily like blacks

The Slave System

Importing slaves ended in 1808 Slavery continued to grow thru reproduction

The Slave System

Slaves treated as an investment: ! Protected from the most

dangerous jobs ! Black women encouraged

to have babies ! Rape by white masters

was common ! Most mulatto babies

remained slaves ! Slave families separated

for economic reasons

Slave Life

Impossible to stereotype; conditions varied Common Elements: hard work, no rights Beatings: common, but not deadly

Plantation Slave Culture

Black belt=Deep South, S.C, Geor., Louisiana, Miss., Alabama More stable African-American culture & families developed on large plantations Religion: a mixture of Christianity and African traditions Slaves focused on Biblical stories of freedom (Moses freeing the Israelites)

Slave Resistance

Purposely worked slowly, acted stupid (leads to black stereotypes) Stole food Purposely broke machines Poisoned masters’ food Ran away Led rebellions: ! Gabriel Rebellion (1800) ! Denmark Vesey (1822) ! Nat Turner (1831)

Slavery’s Impact on Whites

Slavery psychologically messes with whites: ! Live in fear ! Justify racism and

slavery with absurd theories

Abolitionism

The movement to end slavery Quakers were the first to support American Colonization Society (1817) wanted to send blacks back to Africa In 1822, US begins sending some blacks back to Liberia in Africa

Abolitionism

In 1833, the British outlaw slavery William Lloyd Garrison: ! White Bostonian ! Inspired by 2nd

Great Awakening ! Founds antislavery

paper The Liberator

Abolitionism

American Anti-Slavery Society founded in Boston in 1833 Black Abolitionists: ! David Walker: supported

violent end to slavery ! Sojourner Truth: fought

for abolitionism and women’s rights

! Martin Delaney: supported a return to Africa

Abolitionism

Frederick Douglass ! Runaway slave in 1838 ! Self-taught ! Became a travelling lecturer

encouraging abolitionism ! Wrote autobiography in

1845 ! Became a friend to Lincoln

during the Civil War ! Became US minister to Haiti!

Abolitionism

Abolitionist were unpopular even in the north! Seen as troublemakers Often beaten or killed Most Northerners were okay with slavery, they profitted from it too Cotton bound the nation together

Abolitionism

What did most Northerners want? ! They wanted slavery to

remain in the South ! They didn’t want blacks

around

Southern Abolitionism?

Popular from 1790-1830, then it disappears Post-1830: ! Few freed slaves ! Abolitionists viewed as

terrorists ! Slavery promoted as a

“positive good” ! Gag Resolution passed in

Congress: gov’t not allowed to discuss abolitionism EVER

! All abolitionist literature sent to the South must be destroyed

Pro-Slavery Arguments

Supported by the Bible and Aristotle Whites have saved blacks by civilizing/ Christianizing them Slavery better than northern factory work Slaves never had to worry about homelessness or unemployment