Slavery and Society, 1800-1860
Slavery and Society, 1800-1860•King Cotton &
the Old South▫Economics▫Identity▫Culture
•Slave Life ▫Population▫House and Field
• Community• Resistance
King Cotton and the Old South
•Cotton and the South▫Climate, geography▫Profitable▫England/industry
•Cotton gin•Outlawed int’l trade
in 1808
King Cotton and the Old South
•Economics▫60% of U.S.
exports▫Basis of southerneconomy
•Linked N & S •Linked U.S. &
Britain
Cotton, slavery, race identity•Southern Identity
▫Rural▫White privilege▫“Honor”
•Fear of uprisings•“Dependence”
Cotton Culture • “…people live in cotton
houses and ride in cotton carriages. They buy cotton, sell cotton, think cotton, eat cotton, drink cotton, and dream cotton. They marry cotton wives and unto them are born cotton children…”
• British visitor Hiram Fuller’s views of Mobile, AL in 1858
Slavery and Expansion• Post 1812 & Indian
Removal • Westward expansion• Missouri Compromise• Texas “Independence”
• Louisiana, ARK, OK, TX• Profits used to buy more
land, more land=more slaves, more crops=more profit=more land=more slaves=more crops
American Slavery•19/55 signers of the Constitution owned
slaves•Majority of southern Congressmen owned
slaves•4/6 Presidents up to and including
Jackson owned slaves•$25 million in U.S. revenue vs. $1 billion
in slave “property” •Shipping & ship building, insurance,
banks, factories in the North
Population• 1790: 700,000• 1850: 4 million• 1850: 50% grew
cotton• 25% of whites had
slaves• 50% of owners had less than 5 slaves• 5% of planters owned
40% of all slaves in south
Slave Life•Mortality rates
were 3 times higher
•Life expectancy▫Blacks 20’s▫Whites 40’s
•25% sick
Slave Codes•State laws to limit movement of slaves
and define them as property•Cannot own a gun•Marriages not legally recognized•No alcohol•Passes to leave plantation•Illegal to teach slaves to read or write•Legalized homicide as “punishment”
“House slaves”•15%-20%•Constant contact•Raise children•Gendered
violence•Reading•News
“Field Slaves” •75% of slaves•18 hours•“Gangs”•Overseer•Music and group
identity
“Virginian Luxuries,” nd. Anonymous
African American Community•Family•Auctions•Fictive kin•Tribal culture•Music, dance,
spirituality
Christianity•2nd Great
Awakening•Lay preachers•Justice, salvation•“Call and
Response”•Gospel•African American
Methodist Church, 1816
Free Blacks•Non-slaves in the South•6% of total Black population•3% of total population•Laws limited their rights and citizenship,
papers, no access to courts•Most descended from blacks freed in
Upper South•Mainly manual labor •Racial hierarchies based on skin color
Resistance•Work slow•“Sick”•Break tools•“Theft”•Run away•Rebellion
Gabriel Prosser
Resistance•Run away
slaves•Over 1,000•Upper south•Canada•West
Harriet Tubman•Underground
Railroad•Homes, barns,
woods, trails north•19 missions•300 people
Family on Underground Railroad
Slave Rebellions•Gabriel Prosser
1800▫Literate▫Richmond, VA▫1000 slaves▫“Death or liberty”
•Denmark Vescey, 1822▫Telemanque, born in
Africa or W. Indies▫Free, literate,
preacher▫Charleston▫Missouri Compromise▫100 men
Rebellions•Nat Turner, 1831
▫Virginia▫Literate, preacher▫Killed 70
Situation in 1850s
Concluding Thoughts •Despite dependence on cotton and
slavery, Southern economy became more diverse
•Slavery in Upper South declined•Immigration provided cheap & flexible
labor•Changes to economy made slave owners
more worried•More rebellions, abolitionists, Westward
expansion, made slave codes more harsh