American Slavery

Triangle Trade Europeans traveled to Africa to capture slaves beginning in the 1500’s Europeans traded guns and goods for African slaves Slaves were packed into ships during the Middle Passage The terrible trip to the New World lasted four months

Slave Auctions Slaves arriving in the US were sold at slave auctions Men were chosen for strength Women chosen for “breeding” Families were split up and sold to different owners

Plantation System The southern colonies provided the soil and climate for cotton White plantation owners imported African slaves to harvest cotton Plantations were huge farms, with 100’s of acres and slaves

The “Big House” Field hands had the hardest work, but servants worked in the “Big House” cooking, cleaning, and doing chores Servants in the houses viewed as privileged compared with the field hands

The Cotton Gin In 1793 Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin Machine allowed seeds to be taken out of cotton, reducing the time to make cotton Cotton became much more profitable and slavery expanded in the South

A Brutal System Slaves were often branded to show who owned them Slaves were beaten by overseers Female slaves were sometimes raped by owners Owners threatened to sell family members

Christianity Many slaves became Christians The Bible promised salvation from the difficulties of slave life Spirituals sung during slavery became the basis for Gospel music

Escape Many slaves tried to escape North Slave catchers, with dogs. were given rewards for capturing runaways. However, some slaves were successful and escaped to the safety of the North

The Underground Rail Road People opposed to slavery, both white and black, aided escaping slaves They helped slaves cross rivers, gave them food and shelter on their journey North This network of people was was called the Underground Railroad Harriet Tubman brought over 300 slaves to safety

Slave Rebellions Some slaves rebelled against their masters. The most famous rebellion was led by a slave and preacher Nat Turner His rebel slaves killed over 60 slave owners and their families He was captured and hung, but his rebellion struck fear into slave owners in the South

Abolitionism Abolitionism was the movement to end slavery before the Civil War It was a movement supported by both blacks and whites The Anti-Slavery Society in the North called for the immediate end to slavery in the South

Different Abolitionist Voices The most famous abolitionist was former slave Frederick Douglass He wrote, spoke, and protested slavery, advocating non-violent methods White Abolitionist John Brown advocated violence, and took up arms against the slaveholders, before he was captured and hung.

The Power of the Pen Many abolitionist wrote against slavery Frederick Douglass published his North Star William Lloyd Garrison edited the Liberator Author Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote a book on the evils of slavery called Uncle Tom’s Cabin

Speaking Out The Grimke sisters spoke against slavery, even though their father owned slaves Sojourner Truth, a former slave, spoke for freeing the slaves and giving women equal rights She met with President Lincoln in 1864, who asked her to stay in Washington to help the freed slaves.