Upload
dominique-dudley
View
32
Download
2
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
Standard: 21.Demonstrate knowledge of the causes, effects, and major events of the Civil War 24.Explore how a region’s history, geography, and economics influences its view of other cultures and events (relate to North and South). The South. Southern Economy. Before the American Revolution - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Citation preview
Standard:
21.Demonstrate knowledge of the causes, effects, and major events of the Civil War
24.Explore how a region’s history, geography, and economics influences its view of other cultures and events (relate to North and South)
Southern Economy
• Before the American Revolution– Southern crops included: tobacco, rice,
indigo• After Revolution
– Cotton was king
Eli Whitney’s cotton gin
• Removed seeds from cotton– “… one man and a horse will do more than
fifty men and the old machines.–Eli Whitney
Cotton Boom• Cotton was so
profitable Southern families abandoned other crops
• The removal of Native Americans opened up more land– Plantations grew– Cotton production
boomed
Advantage of Cotton as a Cash Crop• It cost little to
market• It could be stored
for a long time»But …
• It quickly depleted the soil– Farmers turned to
crop rotation• To grow a
different crop in a field each year
• It took many field hand to grow and harvest cotton– Led to an increase
in the slave trade
Cotton Trade• The South became a
major player in world trade
• Great Britain was a valuable trade partner
• The South also traded with Northeast textile mills
• This led to the growth of major port cities
– Charleston, South Carolina
– Savannah, George
– New Orleans, Louisiana
Other Crops grown in the South
• Food crops– Corn – the primary
food crop– Rice– Wheat– Sweet potatoes– Sugar cane
• Cash crops– Tobacco– Hemp
• For rope and cloth
Industry in the South
• Cotton mills• Steam power
sawmills• Iron works
Tredegar Iron Works
• The only factory in the south to produce bridge materials, cannons, and steam engines
• Southern factories faced stiff competition from the North and England
Southern Society
• Only about 1/3 of white southern families had plantations with slaves
• But owners of these plantations greatly influenced Southern economy
Plantations
• Men – raised crops, supervised slave laborers, and discussed political issues
• Women – raised children, supervised household slaves, and hosted dances and dinner
Yeomen and Poor Whites
• Yeomen – owners of small farms– They owned few or no slaves– The entire family worked the farm
Urban Life• Southern cities had
public water systems and well maintained streets
• Slaves in the city worked:– As Domestic
Servants – In mills– In shipyards– At skilled jobs
Religion and Society
• Most white southerners had similar religious beliefs
• With plantations miles apart, they often only saw their neighbors at church events– Socials– Revivals
Wealthy White Southerners
• They thought their religion – Justified
their position in society
– Justified the institution of slavery.
• They felt that God created some people to rule others
Free African Americans• There were more than 250,000
in the South and included:– Descendants of slaves freed
after the American Revolution
– Descendants of the Haiti revolution
– Former slave who ran away– Former slaves who had been
freed– Former slaves who paid for
their freedom
Discrimination• Laws were passed to prevent free African
Americans from:– Voting– Traveling freely– Transacting business freely
• They were required they have a white person with them
• Many Southerners believed African Americans could not take care of themselves
“the status of slavery is the only one for which the African is adapted”
- A white Mississippian
The Slave System• Most slaves worked
in rural areas on farms and plantations
• Supervisors, sometimes a slave, made sure orders
were followed and punishment carried out
Work in the Field• Gang-labor
system• All field hands
worked on the same task at the same time– They worked from
sunup to sundown– Workers included
men, women, and children over 10
– Sickness and poor weather did not stop work
Work in the Home• Some slaves worked
in the home as butlers, cooks, or nurses
• They usually had better food, clothes and shelter than field slaves
• Were required to be available 24 hours a day
Skilled Jobs• Some slaves worked as
blacksmiths or carpenters
• And sometimes sold their services to other people
– The money went to the owner, but occasionally owners would let the slave keep some• Some slaves saved enough to free
themselves and sometimes their family
Life Under Slavery• Slaves were
viewed as property• Bought and sold
for a profit– Usually at a
slave auction• Families were
often split apart
• Sometimes freed blacks were kidnapped and sold into slavery
Living Conditions• Slaves lived in dirt floor cabins with few
furnishings and leaky roofs• They wore simple cheap clothing of coarse
cloth
• Food rations were small– Some slaves
kept small gardens for vegetables, or had chickens
Slave Culture• Family was very important in the slave
community– They feared separation more than
punishment
History and Traditions• Was passed down from
parents to children through folktales– Stories included
tricksters where animals often represented slaves
– These stories reassured the slaves that they could survive by outsmarting slaveholders
Religion• Was a very important
part of slave culture• Many slaves were
Christians
– They saw themselves like slaves of the Old Testament• God’s
chosen people
• They believed that someday they would live in freedom
• Slaves sang spirituals that blended traditional African religion with Christianity
• They worshiped in secret, out of sight of slaveholders– The invisible institution
Seeds of Rebellion
• Slaves rebelled daily in small ways– They worked slower to protest long hours
in the fields– They an away for a few days– They tried to escape, risking severe
punishment• Some went to visit relatives• Some left permanently
–Thousands succeeded
Slave Uprisings
• Slave revolts were few, but white southerners lived in fear of them
• Two rebellions were stopped before they began
– Gabriel Prosser• Richmond, Virginia
– Denmark Vesey• Charleston, South
Carolina
Nat Turner’s Rebellion• He was a slave from
Southampton, Virginia
• He believed God told him to end slavery
• He led a group of slaves in a plan to kill all slaveholders and their families
– He began with his owners, then went through the community• They killed 60
white people
• 100 innocent slaves were killed in the attempt to stop the rebellion
• Turner led authorities on a countrywide chase for 6 weeks
• He was caught, brought to trial, made to confess, and was executed
• As a result of the rebellion many states strengthened their slave codes
• Despite resistance slavery continued to spread – Many northerners began to press for racial
equality and abolitionists worked to put an to end slavery