Slave Life “The Positive Good ?” Chapter 13
Slavery and the South Background
I. Background 1.American Slavery 1.Drive for Profits 2.Dehumanization of Africans 2.“Cotton is King” 3.South world’s most extensive slave economy. 4.South most were non-slaveholders
II. Planter Hierarchy 1.Bottom: yeoman farmers; independent 1.Middle Class; owned 3-5 slaves 2.Planter Elite 2.Black Hierarchy 3.Bottom: Field slave 1.House 2.Mulatto 3.Free
III. Southern Way of Life 1.Wealth & social customs base on slavery 2.Slaveholding determines social position /3 of South’s population made up of slaves million slaves S. world leader in cotton production
IV. Daily Life of a Slave
Outhouse
V. Violence
Psychological Abuse 1.Wedding gifts 2.Willed away 3.Birthday gifts
VI. Slave Codes Slaves Can’t do any of these things: 1.Teach each other (read/write) 2.Hit a white person 3.Can’t free slaves w/out permission 4.Testify 5.Make contracts 6.Own guns 7.Assemble 8.Marry 9.Free Blacks?
VII. Black Codes (Segregation) 1.Mostly in the North 2.Restricted integration in: 3.Hotels 4.Dining Halls 5.Offices, etc. 6.Vote, testify, assemble, own a gun, curfews, buy liquor, etc.
John C. Calhoun , “Positive Good”
VIII. Southern Paternalism 1.Elites dominated the south 2.“Positive Good” theory 3.Not oppressors guardians of an inferior race!! 4.Civilize the beastly slaves 5.Structure & discipline 6.Better than industrial workers in the North
IX. Resistance/Rebellion 1.Play dumb 2.Break tools 3.Move slow 4.Stereotypes—dumb & lazy 5.Temporarily run-away instances of slave revolts (10 or more)
X. 10 Reasons slave resistance was not violent 1.Whites/Blacks supervision 2.Didn’t question or were ok w/their position 3.Disunity 4.Economically better off 5.Strong southern militias 6.Bad geography for a successful revolution (ie: no jungles)
10 Reasons slave resistance was not violent (cont’d) 7.Owned in small groups (3-5) 8.Not healthy enough 9.Partially white—related to master 10.Leadership limited to Baptist ministers of pacifist backgrounds
XI. Major Rebellions 1.New York Revolt, Stono Rebellion 3.Gabriel’s Rebellion 4.Denmark Vesey 5.Nat Turner
XII. Denmark Vesey 1.Former slave 2.Abolitionist 3.Planned a large revolt 4.Did not occur afterall
XIII. Nat Turner 1.Slave minister 2.“Visions” from God; wait for a sign to start a rebellion 3.REBELLION!! 4.60 Whites killed; MOST ever in a rebellion