The South

Southern Cotton kingdoms

Rise of the Cotton Kingdom The South can be categorized in 2 different ways: The Upper South Made up of Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina The Deep South Made up of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Texas. One of the reasons for the booming economy of the South was its strong institution of slavery.

Before the demand for cotton grew, there was a demand for rice, indigo, and tobacco. After the revolutionary war, Europe demanded southern cotton. It was hard to upkeep the demand as separating the seeds from the fiber was very difficult.

All this would change when Eli Whitney, in 1793, revolutionized the cotton industry with his new invention, the cotton gin. Cotton Gin- a machine that removed seeds from the cotton fibers.

Both were agricultural economies. By the 1860, the economies of the Upper South and the Deep South were very different. Both were agricultural economies. The Upper South produced tobacco, hemp, wheat, and vegetables The Deep South produced cotton, sugarcane, and rice

Industry in the South The South remained overwhelmingly agricultural and rural. There are a few reasons why the South remained rural: Cotton was a very profitable business Lack of capital, money to invest in businesses There was a smaller demand for manufactured goods in the South.

Southern Factories There were a few who believed that the South should develop factories so that they would not be dependant on the North.

Transportation The south accounted for only 1/3 of the nation’s railroads. The majority of transportation was made within natural waterways. Most cities were situated within the coastline or within rivers for easier access. Roads were very poor. Cities did not grow as fast as they did in the North.

The South’s People

Small Farms Most were small farmers without slaves or small plantation owners with a few slaves. The reality of the South is that not all Southerners had huge plantations with many slaves.

Most Southerners were part of a 4 ladder social class: Plantation Owners Yeomen The largest group of white people in the South Most owned land Did not own slaves Farms ranged between 50-200 acres Tenant Farmers Rented land from landowners and worked the land. Rural Poor Were proud self-sufficient people who grew enough to feed themselves.

Plantations Large plantations might cover several thousand acres. Most plantations owners had about 10 slaves. A wealthier plantation owner might own about 20

City Life and Education Enslaves Africans lived a life of misery: Worked hard, before sun up to sundown Earned no money No hopes of freedom Were often separated from their families when they were sold to other plantation owners Living quarters were very harsh

African American Culture Most enslaved Africans held on to their cultural practices. They passed on folksongs and dance. They incorporated their religion with Christianity. Many of them turned to Christianity because of the implications of faith and hope in being free of bondage one day.

Slave Codes Laws that made laws on slaves more severe. Prohibited them from assembling in large groups Leaving their masters It was a crime to teach slaves to read and write

Nat Turner A slave who taught himself to read, he openly rebelled against slave owners and killed 55 men. Eventually he was caught and hanged.

Most forms of resistance came by slaves working slower, pretending to be ill, braking tools, and even setting fire to plantations.

Escaping Slavery The Underground Railroad (a network of safe houses owned by free blacks and whites who opposed slavery) was establish to help aid runaway slaves. Some slaves tried to escape slavery by running away to the North. Most that ran away, escaped from the Upper South.