The Old South

Images of the Old South Gone with the Wind Whites a natural __________ Stable agrarian society Paternalistic white planters Kind to slaves Dedicated to rural values of independence & honor Uncle Tom’s Cabin Planters as arrogant aristocrats Raped slave women Brutalized slave men Broke up slave families Trampled on rights of poorer __________

Sources of Southern Distinctiveness Climate The “Peculiar Institution” of slavery __________ society Few immigrants Martial spirit __________ by North & South alike that it was distinctive

Tredegar Iron Works (Richmond, VA)

By committing itself to cotton production, the South:  Gambled its future on unending demand (primarily British)  Sacrificed long-term __________ for short- term gain  Accepted moral isolation from rest of the world (Due to existence of slavery)

Distinguishing Characteristics of Plantations (How were they different from other farms?) Large size Substantial __________ enterprises Dedicated to producing staple crops for __________ Large labor force Management structure Division of labor Distinction between management & labor Owners did not work alongside slaves

Were a privileged elite Saw themselves as community leaders A “natural aristocracy” Expected __________ Conflated their _______ interest with the South’s interest The Planter Mindset

Fiercely __________ Suspicious of __________ Supported slave system (But most owned no slaves) Feared economic competition Enjoyed privileged status (Mudsill) The Small Planters (Jefferson’s “yeoman farmers”)

“Poor white trash” Lived a primitive existence on fringe of society Characterized as: “Dirt-eaters” “Lazy” “Shiftless” Failings attributed to heredity Actual causes: __________ __________ deficiencies

Expectations: A Southern Gentleman was: __________ Polite __________ A Southern Lady was: __________ pure __________ pious Domestically submissive Honor and Virtue in the South

Ways a slave might gain freedom: Purchase it Granted in recognition of service (Usually for military service) __________ (Used by G. Washington) Escape (Necessarily entailed leaving the South) Free “Persons of Color”

<= Harriet Beecher Stowe William Lloyd Garrison =>

Frederick Douglas => <= Sojourner Truth

Slavery existed in the __________ Slavery __________ and a social necessity Blacks basically inferior, slavery had a civilizing effect Contrasted it to “evils” of “_____ slavery” in the North Defense of Slavery