The South’s Peculiar The South’s Peculiar InstitutionInstitution

John SacherUniversity of Central Floridajsacher@mail.ucf.edu

How do we define the How do we define the South?South?

Where did slaves live?Where did slaves live?

Slave Population—1860Slave Population—1860SlavesSlaves Total PopulationTotal Population Slave %Slave %

VirginiaVirginia 490,865 490,865 1,596,318 1,596,318 31%31%GeorgiaGeorgia 462,198 462,198 1,057,2861,057,286 44%44%MississippiMississippi 436,631436,631 791,305 791,305 55%55%AlabamaAlabama 435,080435,080 964,201 964,201 45%45%South Carolina South Carolina 402,406 402,406 703,708 703,708 57%57%LouisianaLouisiana 331,726331,726 708,002 708,002 47%47%North Carolina North Carolina 331,059331,059 992,622 992,622 33%33%TennesseeTennessee 275,719275,719 1,109,8011,109,801 25%25%KentuckyKentucky 225,483225,483 1,155,6841,155,684 20%20%TexasTexas 182,566182,566 604,215 604,215 30%30%MissouriMissouri 114,931114,931 1,182,0121,182,012 10%10%ArkansasArkansas 111,115111,115 435,450 435,450 26%26%MarylandMaryland 87,189 87,189 687,049 687,049 13%13%FloridaFlorida 61,745 61,745 140,424 140,424 44%44%DelawareDelaware 1,798 1,798 112,216 112,216 2% 2%

Slave Population—1860Slave Population—1860SlavesSlaves Total PopulationTotal Population Slave %Slave %

South Carolina South Carolina 402,406 402,406 703,708 703,708 57%57%MississippiMississippi 436,631436,631 791,305 791,305 55%55%LouisianaLouisiana 331,726331,726 708,002 708,002 47%47%AlabamaAlabama 435,080435,080 964,201 964,201 45%45%GeorgiaGeorgia 462,198 462,198 1,057,2861,057,286 44%44%FloridaFlorida 61,745 61,745 140,424 140,424 44%44%North Carolina North Carolina 331,059331,059 992,622 992,622 33%33%VirginiaVirginia 490,865 490,865 1,596,318 1,596,318 31%31%TexasTexas 182,566182,566 604,215 604,215 30%30%ArkansasArkansas 111,115 111,115 435,450 435,450 26%26%TennesseeTennessee 275,719275,719 1,109,8011,109,801 25%25%KentuckyKentucky 225,483225,483 1,155,6841,155,684 20%20%MarylandMaryland 87,189 87,189 687,049 687,049 13%13%MissouriMissouri 114,931114,931 1,182,0121,182,012 10%10%DelawareDelaware 1,798 1,798 112,216 112,216 2% 2%

Some Figures:Some Figures: In 1860, in the slave states, there were In 1860, in the slave states, there were

8 million whites who owned 4 million 8 million whites who owned 4 million slaves.slaves.

The number of slaveholders in 1860—The number of slaveholders in 1860—approx. 387,000approx. 387,000

In other words, only approximately 5% In other words, only approximately 5% of all whites owned slaves.of all whites owned slaves.

Wait a second, only 5% of all whites Wait a second, only 5% of all whites living in slave states owned slaves, that living in slave states owned slaves, that doesn’t sound right….doesn’t sound right….

How many families owned How many families owned slaves? (1860)slaves? (1860)

STATE:STATE: SLAVEHOLDERS TOTAL FAMILIES PCTSLAVEHOLDERS TOTAL FAMILIES PCTMISSISSIPPIMISSISSIPPI 3094330943 63015 63015 4949SOUTH CAROLINA SOUTH CAROLINA 26701 26701 58642 58642 46 46 GEORGIA GEORGIA 41084 41084 109919 109919 37 37 ALABAMA ALABAMA 33730 33730 96603 96603 35 35 FLORIDA FLORIDA 5152 5152 15090 15090 34 34 LOUISIANA LOUISIANA 2203322033 74725 74725 2929TEXAS TEXAS 21878 21878 76781 76781 28 28 NORTH CAROLINA NORTH CAROLINA 3465834658 125090 125090 2828VIRGINIA VIRGINIA 52128 52128 201523 201523 26 26 TENNESSEE TENNESSEE 36844 36844 149335 149335 25 25 ARKANSAS ARKANSAS 11481 11481 57244 57244 20 20

TotalTotal 316632 316632 1027967 1027967 3131

How Many People Owned How Many People Owned Slaves?Slaves?

How Many Slaves Did They How Many Slaves Did They Own?Own?

Slave Owning—1860Slave Owning—1860Number of SlavesNumber of Slaves Percent of OwnersPercent of Owners

>100>100 .6% .6% 50-10050-100 2.1% 2.1%20-5020-50 9.3% 9.3%10-2010-20 16.0%16.0% 5-105-10 17.0%17.0% 1-51-5 55.0%55.0%

CottonCotton4.5 million bales (1860) 4.5 million bales (1860)

Cotton GinCotton Gin

Slave CropsSlave Crops

Strikingly Similar . . .Strikingly Similar . . .

Size of Southern CropsSize of Southern Crops Tobacco 1849 106 million lbs. Tobacco 1849 106 million lbs. 1859 347 million lbs.1859 347 million lbs. Rice 1849 215 million lbs. Rice 1849 215 million lbs. 1859 187 million lbs. 1859 187 million lbs. Sugar 1849 $60 millionSugar 1849 $60 million 1859 $180 million1859 $180 million Cotton 2.5 million bales to 4.5 million Cotton 2.5 million bales to 4.5 million

balesbales

PLANTATION PLANTATION ORGANIZATIONORGANIZATION

A. Gang SystemA. Gang System Owner—Planter (owns 20+ slaves)Owner—Planter (owns 20+ slaves) Overseer—Day-to-day authority Overseer—Day-to-day authority

figurefigure Driver—Slave ForemanDriver—Slave Foreman Field Hands—Men and womenField Hands—Men and womenB. Task SystemB. Task System

Task SystemTask System

Plantation LayoutPlantation Layout

Where did slaves work? Where did slaves work? They worked in . . . They worked in . . .

Cotton Cotton 55 percent55 percent Tobacco Tobacco 10 percent10 percent Sugar/rice/hemp Sugar/rice/hemp 10 percent10 percent Servant positionsServant positions 15 percent15 percent Trades/industryTrades/industry 10 percent10 percent

Tredegar Iron WorksTredegar Iron Works

Slave CodesSlave Codes

The WhipThe Whip

Slave PricesSlave Prices

Slave TradeSlave Trade

Some comparative figuresSome comparative figures….….To United StatesTo United StatesTo 1790To 1790 275,000 275,0001790-18071790-1807 75,000 75,000French & SpanishFrench & Spanish

TerritoriesTerritories 30,000 30,000IllegalIllegal 50,00050,000

430,000430,0001800 1 million, 1860 4 million in US1800 1 million, 1860 4 million in US

To Saint Domingue: Total 860,000To Saint Domingue: Total 860,000Alive 1791=480,000Alive 1791=480,000

The The Second Second Middle Middle

PassagePassage

Slave CoffleSlave Coffle

Mary ChesnutMary ChesnutSouth Carolina Plantation South Carolina Plantation

MistressMistress ““Every lady tells you who is the Every lady tells you who is the

father of all the mulatto children in father of all the mulatto children in everybody's household, but those in everybody's household, but those in her own she seems to think drop her own she seems to think drop from the clouds, or pretends so to from the clouds, or pretends so to think."think."