The Antebellum South and Slavery

Economic and political changes occurring after the Revolution dramatically changed the institution of slavery in America.

Following the American Revolution, the northern states began to outlaw slavery, a practice that contradicted the idea that “all men are created equal.”

At around the same time, the American economy began to change At around the same time, the American economy began to change. The demand for tobacco plummeted and northern states began to manufacture cloth and textiles.

The expansion of textile factories in the North had an impact on slavery in the South.

Tobacco and rice only grew well in a limited area, and most Americans assumed that slavery would only exist in those areas.

In fact, many in America by 1800 believed that slavery was doomed. - Tobacco prices had begun to fall and continued to decline. - Importing slaves was going to become illegal in 1808. - However….

Northern businesses created the means that allowed slavery to survive and to grow.

To produce textiles, northern factories needed lots of. . . Cotton

The problem with cotton was that it took too much time to produce it.

Cotton grew very well throughout the southern United States Cotton grew very well throughout the southern United States. The problem was separating the useful cotton from its seeds.

It took slaves hours to clean the seeds from one bushel of cotton It took slaves hours to clean the seeds from one bushel of cotton. As a result, cotton was not a money making crop.

This man changed everything in 1793. Remind me of his name. Eli Whitney What was his invention? The Cotton Gin

The cotton gin allowed for the easy removal of seeds from cotton The cotton gin allowed for the easy removal of seeds from cotton. One slave, using the gin, could do the work of 20 slaves, in half the time. Cotton could now be a huge money making crop.

Cotton grew well across the “deep South” and became the dominant crop for the Southern economy. This had a far reaching impact on Southern society and slavery.

We need to talk about Antebellum Society Antebellum simply means “pre-war.” In this case, pre-Civil War. So, were talking about the development of southern society and culture from roughly 1800 to 1860.

Antebellum Society Almost exclusively agrarian. Little “industry.” Economic and political power shifted from the “upper South” to the “lower South.” “Cotton Is King!” * 1860--> 5 mil. bales a yr. (57% of total US exports). Rudimentary financial system. Most $ was tied up in slaves. Inadequate transportation system. Wanted internal improvements, which they didn’t get.

Antebellum Population (1860)

The “Plain Folk” [white yeoman farmers] Antebellum Social Structure Slave Owners 1,725,000 The “Plain Folk” [white yeoman farmers] 6,000,000 Black Freemen 250,000 Black Slaves 4,000,000 Total US Population --> 23,000,000 [9,250,000 in the South = 40%]

The vast majority of southern slave owners had less than 100 slaves.

And yet the 1,733 planters who owned more than 100 slaves enjoyed a disproportionate amount of political, economic, and social power.

If the majority of Southerners didn’t own slaves, why did they support the “peculiar institution” at times by sacrificing their very lives?

1. They believed in the “American dream” of making something of themselves. They too might one day own slaves and become a wealthy planter. 2. No matter how poor they were, how bad things seemed, at least they were better than the slaves. In essence, they felt a racial superiority that united them with the planters against the African-American slaves.

What was life like for an Antebellum slave in the deep South?

Daily life was dominated by the type of job each slave did.

The vast majority of Antebellum slaves were field hands working in the cotton fields year round. Work hours were generally from sun up to sun down, but at harvest time the day would be extended until the job was done.

Children usually joined the field crew around age 10, but this could happen as early as 5 or 6.

Some slaves had specialized jobs working as blacksmiths, carpenters, hauling crops to market etc…

Where these slaves slept, what they ate, how they dressed, and what they did with their free time varied greatly from plantation to plantation and was often dependant upon how many slaves the master owned.

Still other slaves worked directly for the master and his family in the “big house” as cooks, maids, butlers, etc…

Jobs in the “big house” came with certain advantages. Any ideas? These jobs also came with disadvantages. Thoughts?

All slaves, regardless of their job, shared one thing in common. . . Punishment

The only real incentive most masters had to get slaves to work was fear of pain.

The most common form of punishment was whipping. On most larger plantations, punishment was carried out by an overseer rather than the owner / master himself.

While whipping was the most widely used, it was by no means the only form of punishment. Think of anything that one person can do to another to inflict pain, and it was probably done to a slave.

Masters wanted to be careful however, that they did not take things too far and permanently injure, or worse, kill their slaves. Why?

Slaves were expensive. In 1850 a healthy male slave sold for between $900 and $1500. Today, that’s worth over $20,000.

Some of the harshest punishments were handed out to those slaves who ran away.

The absolute most severe punishments, including death, were handed out to those slaves who engaged in open revolt.

In fact, the greatest fear of southern planters was slave rebellion In fact, the greatest fear of southern planters was slave rebellion. Why?

Largely due to the horrors of slave life, abolitionists began to call for an end to slavery in America. As a result, American political discussion increasingly focused on slavery.

Slavery and Politics Even before the Constitutional Convention in 1787 slavery threatened the stability of the United States.

The NW Ordinance of 1787, passed under the Articles of Confederation, banned slavery in the Northwest Territory with little objection from the South.

While the Founding Fathers did not tackle slavery head on, the Constitution did deal with slavery in two ways.

The Three-Fifths Compromise

The Constitution also banned the importation of slaves after 1808. This didn’t prove to be a problem for slave owners. Why not?

In 1793 Congress passed a fugitive slave law allowing southern states to demand that runaway slaves be returned to their owners. Slaves were viewed as property, not as human beings.

Division over slavery began to grow, as seen by the need for the Missouri Compromise of 1820.

In part, the Second Great Awakening only helped to increase that division. Explain.

Fin.