By: Jessica Allen, Chyna Gillbert, Jaylah Cosby, Jalen Wilson, Kayla Hazelwood, Alex Norman, Morgan Edwards, & Justin Blount

Chapter 11:“Cotton, Slavery, and the Old South”

1. I Can Understand Slave Culture

2. I Can Identify reasons for an economic growth in the south during the 19th century

3. I Can Become more familiar with southern life and culture during the 19th century.

I Can Statements…..

The Southern economic power of the 19th century shifted from the “upper south” tip the “lower south” due to the dominant growth of cotton.

Cotton Economy

The “Upper South”relied on their tobacco crops (which

eventually became notoriously unstable)It was hard for tobacco farmers to stay in

business because the tobacco left the land exhausted.

By the 1830s, tobacco farmers in Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina, shifted to other crops such as wheat. Other southern states, such as Flordia, resulted in growing crops like rice.

The Rise of King Cotton

The “Lower South”Cotton became popular, but could

only be grown around the coastal areas of the southeast.

Short-staple cotton became the most popular because of its ability to grow in a variety of climates, but it was a lot hardier, coarser, harder to process, and the seeds were harder to remove.

The invention of the cotton gin saved the cotton industry.

The Rise of king Cotton cont…

In the 1820’s and 1830’s New England and Britain created an enormous demand for cotton.

The current production of cotton at the time did not satisfy this demand, so ambitious men and women expanded their crops.

By the 1850’s, cotton became the linchpin of the southern economy.

Cotton production spread from South Carolina to Texas and Arkansas.

By 1850, the south was producing 3 million bales of cotton a year.

Rise of King Cotton…

Main IdeaThe South experienced a boom in the

agricultural economy in the 19th century but other forms of economic activity developed

slower

Southern Trade & Industry

The South; more specifically, the upper South, did experience a growth in flour milling, textile manufacturing, and iron manufacturingTheir mill, The Tredegar Iron Works (Richmond), actually compared “favorably” to Northeast mills but still the industry proved to be of less significance when compared to the agriculture industry.Surprisingly enough the total value of textile manufacturers in 1860 saw an increase that was 3x more than the value in 1840, topping in at $4.5 mil

Growing activity in Industry

Brokers/Factors marketed planters’ crops and also served as bankers for the planters’, providing them with credit when they accumulated large debts due to a decrease in cotton sales.

The “primitive character” of the banking system lacked the crucial development needed for industrial development proven by their transportation system.*

The South had inadequate transportation compared to the North and many people began to realize the South’s subordination to the North.*

Brokers and the Banking System

Main Idea/ QuestionWhy is the region doing so little to develop a larger industrial and commercial economy of

its own like the North?

Sources of Southern Difference

I. Because the southern region made so much profit from its agricultural industry, particularly cotton, some saw no need to try and create a industrial economy

II. People were eager to make a profit and capitalize on their economy

III. Wealthy landowners had invested so much in their slaves and land that there was little room for other investments

IV. Some think that the hot and humid weather of the South made industrialization less attractive which then resulted in the North viewing southerners as being lazy,lacking a strong work ethic like they had

Another reason associated with the failure to create a commercial economy was a set of values

that discouraged growth of cities. White southerners thought of themselves as

representatives of a “special” way of life that consisted of:

ChivalryLeisure

Traditional ValuesElegance

From this formed types of people, southern Cavaliers And northern Yankees

Southern Values

More concerned with refined and gracious ways of life

Limited southern societyAppealing to others

Southern Cavaliers

NorthLarge sums of money were invested into their

roads, canals, and railroadsOver 20,000 miles of railroad

SouthCanals were basically nonexistent, roads were

unsuitable for heavy transport, and railroads failed to connect regions together effectively.

Most of the South was unconnected to the national railroad system.

The most used and effective means of transportation was water

Northern Transportation vs. Southern Transportation

“From the rattle which the nurse tickles the ear of the child born in the South to the shroud that covers the cold form of dead, everything comes to us from the North” – Albert Pike , Arkansas Journalist

De Bow was a resident of new Orleans and a strong advocate for southern economic independence

He published a magazine in 1846 named De Bow’s Review that advocated southern commercial and agricultural expansion that sold roughly 173 copies/issue

He yearned for independence from the North and constantly warned about the dangers of colonial relationship between sections.

He estimated that the South lost $100 million annually through their vassalage to the North.

James B. D. De Bow on Economic Subordination

Surprisingly, the group of southern whites who owned slaves was considerably small.

In 1850 the southern white population was over 6 million There were only 347,525 slave holders in 1850 In 1860 the population increased by 2 million Although the population was now at 8 million, there were only

383,637 slave owners

Southern Society (White Society)

• The actual number of slave owners was off because for every slaveholder (which was the man of the house), there were four other members of his family that were considered slave owners.

• Even if the number of slave owners in 1860 was multiplied by four, to accommodate the uncounted family members, slave owners in the south would not even make up a fourth of the total white population.

Southern Society (White Society) Cont.

• Wealthy white southerners who owned plantations, considered themselves the “Planter Class”

• Although each plantation only held on average 800 acres and less than forty to fifty slaves, the Planter Class ruled the south as if they were wealthy landowners of thousands of acres and slaves.

• The planter aristocracy took lavish trips to Europe and had extravagant parties. They compared themselves to the old upper classes of England

The Planter Class (Honor)

The Planter Aristocracy Newly acquired wealth and power.First generation to have any substantial

amount of moneyBefore the plantation many lived a very modest

live with only the bare necessities.

Old English AristocracyOld money that had been in the families for

generations

The Planter Class (Honor) Cont.

The Planter AristocracyCarefully watched business to guarantee a big

profitCompetitive capitalistLived modestly because money was tied up in

buying more slaves and land.Had little money left over

Old English AristocracyBusiness was usually leisure and genteelLived a lavish lifestyle

The Planter Class (Honor) Cont

• Planter class of southern whites were more defensive when it came to their rights to have slaves.

• Took up a code of “chivalry”• Each man should defend his “honor” through

dueling• Avoided professions in trade and commerce

because they were seen as coarse• A suitable job for men was one in the military,

which was the equivalent to the job of an Old English knight.

The Planter Class (Honor) Cont.

• Were typically white women• Lives generally centered in the

homes serving as companions to and hostesses for their husbands and as nurturing mothers for their children.

• Cult of honor in the region meant was that mean gave “defense” to women

• Male figures were dominant over women when it came to homes

• To help with the economical stand point in families women engaged in….

* spinning, weaving , and other production like agricultural tasks and they helped supervise slave work

The “Southern Lady”

Lacked the amount of education that Northern women had*over 20 were completely illterate*only a few had more than a rudimentary exposure to

schooling*few academies that were present in the south taught women how to be good wives

The birth rate for women were 20% higher than the nation as a whole

*not many babies lived passed the age of 5*many slave owners had relationships with the slaves

Few southern women rebelled to against their roles and against prevailing assumptions of their region

The “Southern Lady” Continued

Typical white male was a yeoman farmer*some owned a few slaves while most owned none at all

Devoted themselves to their work*some grew cotton but weren’t successful in it and went into debt

In the 1850s the number of non-slave holding landowners increased much faster than the number of slaveholding because

*educational system did not provide poor whites the opportunities to learn

The Plain Folk

Most plain folk did not have that much power in the south because majority of the population consisted of modest farmers largely excluded from the dominant plantation society.

Some men and women saw slavery as unattractive because they felt like it threatened their sense of their own independence.

Some whites had animosity towards the planter aristocracy of the other regions of the south while others accepted that system because they benefited from it

*got access to cotton gin, markets for the crops, credit or other financial assistance in time of need

All farmers were tied into the same democratic partyFamily structure all centered around the economy and

everyone pitched in to help.

White southerners referred to pelicular instution as slavery

South in the mid 19th century was the only place with slaves besides Brazil, Cuba, Puerto Rico

American slavery was distinctiveIsolated blacks from whiteThere was a bond of master and slaveFarmer and slave dependent on each otherAfrican Americans under slavery developed

their own culture unrelated to white culture

Pelicular Institution

Slavery was an institution established and regulated in detail by law

Slave codes of Southern states forbade slaves to hold property, couldn’t leave master’s premises without permission, to be out after dark, congregate with other slaves unless at church, carry firearms, strike a white person (even self defense), could not testify in court against whites, no legal slave marriages or divorces

Anyone rumored that had a trace of African ancestry was presumed black

Restrictions seem to suggest slaves live under a uniformly harsh dismal regime

Whites could not teach slaves to read of write If a master killed slave during punishment, it was not considered

crime Slaves faced death penalty for killing or resisting whites

Pelicular Institution Slave Codes

Whites could not teach slaves to read of writeSome slaves had property, learned to read and write in contraryAlthough, some blacks lived in almost prison like constitutionsSome slaves stole from their masters, performed isolated acts of

sabotage: losing or breaking tools, performing taxes improperly In extreme cases: some slaves might make their selves useless by

cutting off their own fingers, or committing suicide. Also despite terrible consequences, some might turn and kill their masters

Relationship between master and slaved depended in party on the size of plantation

Some white farmers supervised slaves and worked alongside, relationships could be tyrannical and cruel, or warm and affectionate

Pelicular Institution Master and Slave

Head driver oversee slavesTwo systems of assigning slave laborTask system-(common for rice) particular task

assigned and turn in for the day, when finished

Gang system-(common for cotton, sugar, tobacco) divided slaves and a driver directed work as long as he pleases

Pelicular Institution Systems

Slaves generally received at least enough necessities to enable them to live and work

Diet consist of cornmeal, salt pork, molasses and occasionally fresh meat or poultry

Slave families often dividedMany slaves cultivated their own gardensReceived cheap clothing and shoes, lived in crude

cabins called “Slave quarters” which were usually clustered together in a complex near their master’s house

Slave women and master’s wife provided some medical care

Pelicular Institution Life

Light tasks went to childrenWork days longest at harvest timeWomen in field with mean as well as house

chores- cooking, cleaning, child careSlaves (as a group) much less healthy than

whites: had fewer children survive, died at younger age, high death rate

Household slaves had easier (physical) lives, although some did both house and field

Female slaves vulnerable to sexual abuse by mast

Pelicular Institution Work

Trade one of the most horrible aspects, separating familes

Transfer of slaves occurred through the medium of professional slave traders on trains, rivers, or oceans

At the auction, bidders checked slaves like livestock, inspecting teeth, feeling arms and legs, looking at age

A sound young field hand would cost $500-1,700 in 1840s-1850s

Pelicular Institution Slave Trade

Conditions of slavery in the cities differed significantly from those in the country side, whites considered slavery to be incompatible with city life

Whites feared conspiracy and insurrections in cities from slaves, it was safer on an isolated plantation with little contact with free blacks and better supervision

About 250,000 free African Americans in slaveholding states by start of civil war, some managed to buy their own families’ freedom

Elizabeth Keckley bought her and her son’s freedom sewing Some slaves set free by a master who had morals, or a master’s will after death John Randolph freed more than 400 slaves after his death In a few cities, New Orleans, Natchez, Charleston-free black communities

managed to flourish Most free blacks lived in poverty Slave revolts extremely rare Some slaves tried to run, and a small number escaped to the North or Canada Odds against a successful escape from the deep south was impossibly high

especially through slave patrols Without freedom permit, slaves presumed to be runaways and taken captive Slave patrols kept bloodhounds and tracked blacks in the woods

Pelicular Institution Freedom

Slaves ate an adequate and rough diet. The meals consisted of cornmeal, salt pork, molasses, and on special occasions fresh meat or poultry.

Slaves made gardens for their on benefit instead of relying on he master.

Lived in rude shacks called “quaters’’ combined in complexes next to the maasters house.

Life under slavery

Children worked light tasks so that they are healthier as they get older and also so they were not pushed to exhaustion.

Black women had their work cut out for them. Worked as midwives, “healers”, and mothers often as single parents.

Life under slavery

Slaves in the U.S. had pleasant living conditions compared to those of the Caribbean and South America because sugar cane requires more arduous labor.

Since slaves in the U.S. had much better living, importing wasn’t needed because the slaves were healthy enough to reproduce.

Life under slavery

In 1808 the importation of slaves was banned as the ratio of blacks to whites slowly declined.

In 1820 here was one African to four American. Then in 1840, 1 to 5.

Slave mothers had large families but were enforced to poverty and typically white people lived longer then slaves due to conditions.

Life under slavery

Slaves were often kept healthy until adolescence to kept loyal and healthy (already mentioned).

Slaves around the house often resented the work because they missed their fellow slaves and life under the master was not very safe.

Masters often tormented the household slave sexually and physically because he could keep a close eye on them.

Life under slavery

Slavery in the cities was often not common because the jobs in cities did not require hard labor.

Slaves were often thought of as free in cities.Populations in cities often consisted of white

males and African females with a result of mullato children populating cities.

Southerns believed tha slavery was incompatible with city life.

Slavery in cities

No one claimed the city slaves. As a result the slaves had time to mingle with free blacks and were often considered as free.

Not many European immigrants in the south like the north and any buisness employer would hire free labor but the slaves were unskilled workers.

Both white and black slaves were declining in numbers as cities grew, forcing segregation

Slavery in cities

250,000 free blacks in slave-holding states at beginning of Civil War more than half in Virginia and Maryland

Some slaves could develop a useful skill to make money and buy their and their families freedomOne example: Elizabeth Keckley; took up

sewing to gain her and her family’s freedom and eventually became a seamstress, personal servant, and companion to Mary Todd Lincoln.

Free Blacks

Due to Nat Turner’s slave rebellion, whites believed once slaves were free they would become violent on the whites.

Very few slaves ever achieved freedom because of their master’s consent.

Some blacks lived in prosperity, or economically growing communities but they were few and far between.

Free Blacks

Central markets in New Orleans, Natchez, Mobile, and Galveston.

They were transported from one part of the South to another via trains, rivers, or ocean steamers; shorter journeys were traveled by foot.

They were put up for auction and examined like cattle.

Some masters tried to dress up their slaves in hopes of a higher bid.

Slave Trade

Domestic slave trade- awful; many families were broken apart.

Foreign Slave trade- worse; federal law had prohibited the slaves from being imported in 1808, but slaves were still smuggled in.

William L. Yancey (Alabama): tried to reopen the foreign slave trade; only delegates from states of the upper south opposed.

Slave Trade

Most whites assumed slaves were content with their circumstances.

Actually, most slaves yearned for freedom knowing they’d never attain it.

Rather than contented acceptance, the dominant response of blacks to slavery was a complex one: a combination of adaptation and resistance.

Two different stereotypes emerged among the white society: sambo and the slave rebel

Slave resistance

Slave rebellions were rare, but their threat terrified the whites.

Gabriel Prosser gathered 1,000 rebellious slaves outside Richmond, but two African Americans gave the plot away and the rebellion was squashed by the Virginia militia before it even began (Prosser and 35 others were executed).

In 1822, Denmark Vesey (with 9,000 of his followers) made plans to revolt, but their plan was also leaked and failed to begin.

Nat turner gathered his men and killed 60 white men, women, and children in Southampton Country, Virginia before being overpowered. Only successful uprising, but horrible enough to impose fear

Slave Resistance

Some slaves tried to run away, but few made it to the North or Canada (some received help from the Underground Railroad).

Some slaves refused to work.Some slaves stole from their masters and

their masters’ neighbors.Some performed isolated acts of sabotage or

performing tasks improperly.*Extreme: killed themselves, cut off their

fingers, or even killed their masters.

Slave Resistance

Slaves had difficulty communicating with each other, so they ended up creating a common language called pidgin. Pidgin had African words but mainly consisted of English words.

Pidgin has survived still to this day and has become more complex as the years go by.

Language

Integral part of slave culture.

Heavily reliant on rhythm and dance.

Main instrument=banjo, but most of the time was just sung without instruments.

Used to pass time in the fields and expressed their faith as well.

Music

Almost all African Americans were Christian-mainly Baptist or Methodist.

Slaves were expected to worship under supervision of white ministers.

Autonomous black churches were banned- unsupervised

African-American Christianity had practices of voodoo and other polytheistic religious traditions from Africa.

Leaders of the community would become preachers.

African- American Religion

Slave prayer involved “fervent chanting”, “spontaneous exclamations from the congregation”, and “ecstatic conversion experiences”

More joyful and affirming that white denominations.

Emphasized the dream of freedom and deliverance.

Seating in most of the churches at the time were segregated(when they attended the same church)

African-American Religion Continued

Slaves were not allowed to marry legally.

Slaves bore children at younger ages (14-15)

Premarital pregnancy was not condemned.

Marriages often occurred b/t slaves of neighboring plantations. (had to visit each other secretly)

Marriages were very strong unless broken apart by slave trade.

The Slave Family

One of the most frequent causes of flight from the plantation was the desire to find a family member that was sent elsewhere.

Many African American women would bear the child of the masters.

Many were very hostile towards the masters, but were very dependent upon them for their material needs.

The relationship is described as maternal-”sometimes harsh”, “sometimes kindly”

By creating this paternalism, whites were able to create control over their slaves and reduce resistance and slaves running away.

Slave Family Continued

That’s it…..

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