The Rise of Cotton and Slavery in the South Period 4 1800-1844

Questions of the Day Why did expansion of American Territory heighten tension between the North and the South over the issue of Slavery? (WOR-6)

Questions of the Day Why did expansion of American Territory heighten tension between the North and the South over the issue of Slavery? (WOR-6) Analyze ways that philosophical, moral, and scientific ideas were used to defend and challenge the dominant economic and social order in the 19th century.

Eli Whitney Yale grad – tutor in Georgia to repay college debt. 1793 Whitney develops the “Cotton Gin” a hand cranked machine that separates the sticky cotton from its seeds. Also developed a larger version powered by water or horses.

Effects of Cotton Gin Cotton surpasses tobacco, rice, and sugar as the number one southern crop. Cotton production increases 800% over the next ten years. Southerners experience unprecedented prosperity. Increase in labor force needed to meet increased demand. Leads to large-scale commercial agriculture. Westward migration and Indian removal results in cotton growth westward and with it plantation and slave culture. “Cotton is King” North benefits from the exportation of cotton to England. England dependent on South’s cotton and North's transportation

Problems with the Growth of Cotton People ignored indications that one-crop economy could not be sustained. Cotton was hard on soil. Plantation owners dominated southern society. Excess of poor white and slaves, few wealthy monopolized cotton industry. Increase in slavery.

Southern Culture Southern Aristocracy Wealthy Plantation Owners Small Plantation Owner Poor White Families aka “White Trash” Lowland Whites Mountain Whites Free Blacks Slaves

Southern Culture Wealthy Plantation Owners: Small Plantation Owner: Southern aristocrats: wealthy plantation owners at the top of the social ladder. 1850 1,750 families owned more that 100 slaves each. Education only available to the rich. No public institutions. Gap between rich and poor continued to widen. Small Plantation Owner: Truly represented southern lifestyle One-fourth of white southerners owned slaves. Many small cotton farms with less than ten slaves.

Southern Culture “White Trash”: Poor white families. Called white trash by southerners, who believed they were lazy. Most poor white families unable to work efficiently due to malnutrition and parasitic illness caused by poor understanding of healthy and safe food preparations. Classified by location Lowland whites – mechanics, tradesman, small cotton farmers, supported slave system  dreams of owning at least one slave  someone they could feel superior to. Mountain whites – suffer from poverty and malnutrition, often went unnoticed by southerners because of location, subsistence farmers who relied on corn and hogs for survival.

Southern Culture Free Blacks: 1860 250,000 free black men and women lived in the south. Many freed during revolution, others emancipated mulattoes. Freedom but most states had laws restricting blacks rights. Emancipation no guarantee of prosperous life, some free blacks were captured by slave owners and resold into slavery. Another 250,000 lived in the north, also denied basic rights like voting, harmful rivalry with white irish immigrants because of competition over the same jobs.

Slavery Slaves: Bottom rung of southern aristocracy Established in the early colonial period. “necessary evil” – founding fathers. Plantation system in place for crops such as Tobacco, rice, and sugar  booming cotton industry put greater need on slavery in the south. Slave importation illegal from 1808 on. Slaves smuggled into country, slave owners rarely prosecuted. Women encouraged to have children to build up slave owners labor force – promises of freedom. By 1860 nearly 4 million slaves inhabited the southern region of the United States.

Slavery Abolitionists: Supporters of slavery argued that: People who battled the institution of slavery with hopes of freedom for all slaves. Supporters of slavery argued that: U.S. slave system provided better lifestyle than in other countries. Typical slave was better off than a typical northern worker. Slavery civilized blacks and allowed them to learn about Christianity. Primary argument for slavery was economical. Slaves an economic necessity for both north and south. Slave owners lived in fear of a slave revolt  necessary evil to maintain the prosperity of “King Cotton”

Conditions of Slaves Conditions of slaves varied region to region. By 1860 slaves cost $1,800 each. Slaves valuable, more dangerous work was hired out to a more expendable labor force. Most slaves resided in deep south “Black Belt” for its abundance of slaves. Hard work was a mainstay of the slave lifestyle. Slaves did not earn wages. Motivation was an overseer who wielded a whip to flog the unproductive or inefficient laborers. Dehumanization: Physically, emotionally, and legally, slaves were reduced to property, given no social or political rights.

Slave Culture No legal right to enter into marriage. Many slave owners did allow slaves to participate in unionizing ceremonies and to live as married couples. Most slaves practiced some form of religion. Usually a hybrid of Christian and African elements. Most slave children in “Deep South” lived in two-parent households, where forced separations did not happen very often. Forced Separation of Families: Occurred when slave owner died or encountered financial difficulties. Slaves went off to auction. No regard was given to keeping families together, rare for families who came to auction to stay together.

Deep south, 1860 Slaves were concentrated in counties where cotton thrived, as shown in the above map based on the 1860 census. White Southerners in these same areas today express more racial resentment and are more likely to be Republican and oppose affirmative action, than other Southerners.

Nat Turner Was Nat Turner a Hero or a Madman? Materials: Nat Turner – “A troublesome property” Timeline Document A Document B Document C Guided Questions Denmark Vessey

Nat turner You read the documents for homework, Document B and C Document A Who wrote it and what additional information is given about the document? Is this a trust-worthy source? Slaves have lawyers? What do you think Thomas Gray’s motivation is? Answer Guided questions. Is Gray’s perspective trustworthy? Document B and C Answer Guided Questions

Nat turner Discussion Questions: Who was Nat Turner? Was he a hero or a madman? What is your evidence? What other evidence would you like to have to inform your decision? Why do the characterizations in Documents A, B, and C differ? Which do you think is most trustworthy? How does the passage of time affect how people view(ed) Turner? How do you think most people today would characterize Turner?

Denmark Vessey Read “Denmark Vessey: a New Verdict” and answer the questions that go along with it. Finish for HW and be prepared to discuss next class.