Economy of the South South included 6 of the original 13 states: Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia Arkansas and Texas had joined the Union and became part of the cotton belt Cotton Belt : a band of states stretching from South Carolina to Texas Economies of these states relied almost completely on the production of cotton

Geography of Southern Farming Farmers could count on 200 to 290 frost-free days a year in which to grow crops Farmers often had to rely on British or Northern banks for loan About 15,000 families owned plantations Only about ¼ of all slaves lived on plantations with more than 50 slaves

Continued… Invention of the cotton gin, Southerners scrambled to put more land into cotton production Not all Southern states changed over cotton Sugar and rice crops were also grown

Slow Urban Growth Fewer than 8% of white Southerners lived in towns of more than 4,000 people million African Americans nationwide, 12% were free

All the Northern states had either banned slavery or passed laws to end it gradually Constitution had specified that Congress could not end the slave trade before 1808 In the South population growth among people already enslaved contributed to a sharp increase in the internal slave trade The Slavery System

Continued The slave population was about 1.5 million Population doubled African American slaves made up more than half of the population of South Carolina

Slavery on Small and Large Farms Small farm slaves often worked side by side with their owners in the fields Cotton farming employed nearly 60% of the enslaved African Americans in the United States

Slaves as Property Nearly all slave owners thought of slaves as their property that performed labor for their business As the demand for slaves increased in the early 1800’s, so did the prices that slave traders demanded In 1832 a “prime” fieldworker from the age of cost about $500, but by 1837 the price more than doubled to $1300

Slaves as Property Continued Slaves only cost about $15 to $60 a year to support after being bought Since replacing a slave was so expensive, slave owner usually kept their slaves healthy enough to work

Slave Revolts Only a small amount of slaves were able to escape from their imprisonment or win their freedom In 1800 Denmark Vesey bought his freedom and in 1822 he made plans to seize Charleston, raid the arsenal, kill all the white residents, free the slaves, and burn the city to the ground South Carolina troops ended the rebellion before it began 35 African Americans, including Vesey, were hung

Turner’s Rebellion Nat Turner was an African American preacher, and saw visions that he believed meant that he should rebel He and 70 slaves murdered white families in South-Eastern Virginia, including Turner’s former master, in August 1831 The militia began pursuing the slaves About 15 of the other rebels were captured and hung

Turner’s Rebellion Continued Turner hid in the woods for 6 weeks until he was captured He was imprisoned and sent to be executed, but while in prison he dictated a confession In November 1831he was hung and skinned

White Southerners Alarmed White Southerners feared for slave revolts The state of Virginia considered ending slavery to cease the threats Virginias joined other states and fixed restrictions on slavery Virginia and North Carolina ruled against teaching slaves to read Some states prevented blacks from moving or meeting