Chapter 6 Section 4

THE DEBATE OVER SLAVERY

SLAVERY IN THE SOUTH

Slave trade outlawed in 1808—US slave population was self-sustaining Slave owners had an economic incentive to treat slaves

somewhat reasonably—excessive cruelty or violence would damage their “investment”

Daily routine Physical labor during the daylight hours Only a small % of slaves (less than 10%) worked in non-

agricultural settings (domestic servants, some industry) Women not only did the physical labor of male slaves but also

had to maintain their households (cook, clean, care for their family, etc)

Culture and religion Fusion of various African and European influences Slaves were the target of evangelists during the Second Great

Awakening

AFRICAN RESISTANCE TO SLAVERY

What options would you have to resist slavery if you were an enslaved person?

Passive Resistance Intentionally slowing production on plantations Sabotaging equipment Running away

Active Resistance: Slave rebellions Gabriel’s Rebellion—Virginia 1800 Denmark Vessey (freed black)—Charleston SC 1822 Nat Turner’s Rebellion—Virginia 1831 All slave revolts failed

Negative Side of slave revolts Led to more restrictions on freed blacks and slaves—prohibition of

educating slaves for example Led to harsh backlash against ideas of manumission, emancipation,

and abolitionism Made slave owners feel that their way of life was under attack, caused

them to defend slavery even more forcefully than they did before

EARLY EFFORTS TO END SLAVERY

Revolutionary War Manumission in some of the Southern states Gradual emancipation in the North

Gradualism Idea that slaves should be freed slowly over time (all people

born as slaves freed on their 18 th birthday for example) Slave owners should be compensated for their lost

“property” American Colonization Society 1817

Liberia 1822 Popular during the 1830s and early 1840s Problems with this idea?

NEW IDEA TO END SLAVERY: ABOLITIONISM

Idea that slavery should be abolished immediately, everywhere

Causes of abolitionism? 2nd Great Awakening Abolitionist movements in other countries—especially Great Britain

(abolished slavery 1833-1834) Who were the abolitionists?

Similar to other reforms of the antebellum era—middle class Morally opposed to slavery African Americans

Beginning of the abolitionist movement William Lloyd Garrison, The Liberator American Antislavery Society 1833 Black Abolitionists

Frederick Douglass—freed slave, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Sojourner Truth—freed female slave, worked for women’s rights and

abolitionism Harriet Tubman—escaped slave, leader on the Underground Railroad

Abolitionists=morally opposed to slavery Thought slavery was evil, and opposed it everywhere no matter what Believed in the basic equality of all races

Other People=economically opposed to slavery What would slaves do to the wages of ordinary workers? Would small middle class farmers with no slaves be able to compete

with large plantation owners who had lots of slaves? What would happen to the chance of getting a good job out West if

slavery spread to the western territories? Free Soilers

Middle and lower class northerners Economically opposed to slavery OK with slavery where it already existed, didn’t want it to spread

anywhere new (wanted the West to be FREE SOIL) Were often extremely racist—hated African Americans more than

most white southerners did Most people in the North who opposed slavery were Free Soilers, not

abolitionists (Abraham Lincoln during his early life was a Free Soiler)

OTHER PEOPLE OPPOSED TO SLAVERY: THE FREE SOILERS

RESPONSES TO ABOLITIONISM (NORTH AND SOUTH)

South Similar to southern response to slave revolts—led to a

backlash against moderates who wanted to end slavery Southern post-masters destroyed abolitionist literature sent

in the mail Abolitionists attacked, blamed for encouraging slave revolts

North Most northerners were NOT abolitionists Garrison, Douglass, Truth all attacked by angry mobs in the

North, Elijah Lovejoy attacked and killed 1837 Why hostility to abolitionism in the North?

Economic ties to the South and slavery Racism Feared competition with freed blacks—especially among poor

immigrants (Irish) Feared challenges to the established social/political order

Abolitionists were always a minority in America (even in the North) until the end of the Civil War

Made the status of slavery and its extension to new territories and states a major political issue

Over time many people in the North came to be opposed to slavery (although they weren’t in favor of abolitionism) due to the abolitionists—led to political confl icts over slavery

In the South the abolitionists increased tensions against the North, helped make the South feel isolated and under attack

Abolitionist/Anti-Slavery political parties started small but would eventually gain power throughout the 1840s and 1850s Liberty Party 1840, 1844 elections—moral abolitionists Free Soil Party 1848—moral abolitionists, plus Free Soilers Republican Party 1854—Free Soil Party plus others (business

leaders)

EFFECTS OF THE ABOLITIONIST MOVEMENT

SLAVERY AND SOCIAL DIVISIONS IN THE SOUTH

Most white southerners—about 75% did not own any slaves Of the 25% of white southerners who did own slaves most owned

only a handful About one half of 1% of the Southern white population owned the

majority of slaves in the South

SLAVERY AND SOCIAL DIVISIONS IN THE SOUTH (CONT.)

Planter Elite—1-3% of white population Top of the social ladder, owned large amounts of slaves, dominated

society, politics, and the economy Yeoman (Middle Class) Farmers—20-25% of white population

Might own a handful of slaves might not own any Poor Whites—70-75% of white population

Lower class Owned no slaves Worked on small farms in agriculturally unproductive areas of the South

Free Blacks—250,000 Freed slaves, slaves who had purchased their freedom, etc. Precarious social and legal standing--had few legal rights, faced

discrimination and harassment Slaves—4 million Other groups

Mountain whites poor/middle class whites living in the Appalachian mountain region Despised the planter elite and slaves

Most white southerners didn’t own slaves, in fact slavery kept many whites stuck in poverty, but the vast majority of white southerners supported slavery, why?

Racism Lower class whites no matter how poor were still better than slaves

Economic motives The economic well being of the entire South was dependent on

slavery (or so people thought) As long as slavery existed there was a chance that a poor white

could acquire a slave or two and use them to become wealthy (or so they thought)

Why the need to spread slavery out West, why not just have slavery where it was already? Southern economy was based on agriculture, over time the soil lost

its nutrients, Southerners constantly needed new land to cultivate No more slave states would mean the existing slave states would

get outvoted in Congress on a whole list of issues that were important to them (tariffs, internal improvements, taxes, future expansion, etc.)

THE PARADOX OF SOUTHERN SUPPORT FOR SLAVERY: WHY?

Anti-Slavery Slavery was morally wrong any slavery anywhere was

unacceptable Spreading slavery out west would make it impossible for

northern farmers to get good paying jobs, or to become independent middle-class farmers

Slavery needed to either be eliminated everywhere or at least confined to the states where it already existed

Pro-Slavery If slavery wasn’t constantly expanding to new states it

would be slowly dying off Southerners NEEDED slavery to expand to sustain their

economy and keep their political power Slavery needed to be spread to the new territories out west

IMPOSSIBLE TO COMPROMISE(?): SLAVERY VS. ANTI-SLAVERY