Growth of the Cotton Industry Chapter 13, Section 1 Growth of the Cotton Industry

Reviving the South’s Economy Prior to the Revolutionary War, 3 crops dominated Southern agriculture Rice Tobacco Indigo Southern agriculture depended on the labor of enslaved Africans Slavery was a dominant factor in the Southern economy

Reviving the Southern Economy After the American Revolution, prices for tobacco, rice, and indigo fell As crop prices decreased, the demand for and price of slaves also decreased Farmers tried to grow other crops with little success

Cotton Becomes Profitable Cotton had been grown in the Western hemisphere for centuries but had not been a very profitable crop Long staple cotton was fairly easy to process but could only be grown in a few places in the South Short staple (also called green-seed) cotton was difficult to process but easier to grow

Cotton Becomes Profitable Demand for cotton increased in the 1790’s Textile factories of Great Britain needed raw cotton for making cloth American cotton producers could not keep up Needed a machine that could process the cotton more efficiently

Eli Whitney’s Cotton Gin Northerner Invented the cotton gin Machine that removed seeds from short-staple cotton Wanted to keep design a secret Revolutionized the cotton industry Planters built cotton gins that could process tons of cotton very quickly Large scale farmers who held more than 20 slaves

The Cotton Boom The cotton gin made cotton very profitable The removal of Native Americans opened up more land New types of cotton plants were developed Cotton Belt Area of high cotton production

The Cotton Belt States

The Cotton Boom Production of cotton increased rapidly Economic boom attracted new settlers Wealthy white southerners became even wealthier The institution of slavery firmly put into place in the South The entire Southern economy relied almost solely on slave labor

The Cotton Belt Cotton had many advantages as a cash crop Cost little to market due to high demand Long storage life Light weight made for easy transportation Farmers wanting to grow cotton headed west seeking land

The Cotton Belt Cotton had one disadvantage: it rapidly used up soil nutrients After a few years, cotton could make the land useless for growing anything Agricultural scientists recommended crop rotation to keep land fertile longer

The Cotton Belt As the Cotton Belt grew, farmers continued to try to improve the crop Crossbred short-staple cotton with other varieties Resulted in new, stronger types of cotton The cotton belt industry expanded thought the 1860’s

The Cotton Belt The Cotton Boom involved much more than growing and harvesting cotton Cotton had to be ginned, pressed into bales, shipped to market or warehouse Special agents helped market cotton and insure cotton Factories were built to produce items needed by cotton farmers

The Cotton Belt Growing and harvesting cotton required many field hands and the demand for slave labor increased as the cotton belt expanded Congress had banned the importation of slaves in 1808 Growing demand for slaves led to an increase in the slave trade within the United States

Cotton Trade Cotton was declared “King” by South Carolina politician James Henry Hammond Cotton boom made the South a major player in global trade Great Britain became the South’s most valued foreign trading partner Cotton also valuable to the United States’ growing textile industry Increased trade let to the growth of major port cities in the South New Orleans, LA Charleston, SC Savannah, GA

Cotton Trade Factors Crop brokers who managed the cotton trade Farmers sold cotton crops to merchants Merchants made deals with the factors Merchants and factors also made loans arrangements for farmers who needed to purchase supplies Once farmers got their cotton to the port cities, factors arranged transportation aboard trading ships

Cotton Trade It was very difficult for farmers to get their cotton to port cities by land Few good roads in the South Most Southern farmers had to ship their goods on the regions rivers On the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, farmers relied on flatboats and steamboats

Other Crops and Industries Some leaders worried that the South was too dependent on cotton Wanted Southern farmers to try a variety of cash crops

Food and Cash Crops Corn was the primary Southern food crop Other successful foods included rice, sweet potatoes, wheat, and sugarcane Tobacco was the South’s first major cash crop Very time consuming to process tobacco A slave discovered a faster curing process in 1839 which improved and increased tobacco production

Food and Cash Crops Hemp and flax also became major cash crops Fibers used to make rope and sackcloth Used rope and sackcloth to bundle cotton into bales

Industry Many of the South’s first factories were built to serve farmers’ needs by processing crops such as sugarcane First steam powered sawmill was built in Donaldsville, LA 1840’s: Southern investors promoted cotton mills Most were small

Industry Some Southerners encouraged industrial growth Tredegar Iron Works One of the most productive iron works in the nation Industry still remained a small part of the Southern economy Faced difficult competition from the North

Chapter 13, Section 2 Southern Society

Southern Society Reality During the first half of the 1800s, only 1/3 of white southern families owned slaves Fewer than 1/3 of white southern families had plantations Despite small numbers, these white southern slave & plantation owners had a powerful influence over the South Many were political leaders Led a diverse society including yeomen farmers, poor whites, slaves, and free African Americans

Planters Wealthiest members of Southern society who greatly influenced the Southern economy Some lived in beautiful mansions Others lived more simply, saving their money to purchase more land and more slaves Male planters concerned with raising crops and supervising slave labor Wives ran the plantation households Also raised children and supervised house slave labor Social duties of hosting dinners, barbeques, and dances Slave women cooked, cleaned, and helped care for the planter’s children

Yeomen and Poor Whites Yeomen Poor Whites Small farm owners Owned few slaves or none at all Took great pride in their work All family members worked long days at many tasks Poor Whites Lived on land that could not grow cash crops Survived by hunting, fishing, raising small gardens, and doing odd jobs for money

Religion and Society Most white southerners shared similar religious beliefs Because of long distances between farms, most neighbors only saw each other at church events Wealthy white southerners believed that religion justified slavery Argued that God created people like themselves to rule over others Opposed many Northern Christians’ belief that God was against slavery

Urban Life Largest southern cities were located along the Atlantic Coast Similar to Northern cities Public Water systems Well-maintained streets Public education was available in a few places Southern urban leaders wanted their cities to appear as modern as possible Slaves did much of the work in Southern cities

Free African Americans and Discrimination While the majority of African Americans in the south were enslaved, more than 250,000 lived in the south by 1860 Some descendents of freed African slaves Some descendents of refugees from the Haitian Revolution Some run-aways Some had earned enough money to buy their freedom

Free African Americans and Discrimination Free African Americans lived in both rural and urban areas Most lived in the countryside and worked as paid laborers on plantations and farms In cities, free African Americans worked a variety of jobs Free African Americans faced constant discrimination from white southerners Many governments passed laws limiting the rights of free African Americans Most could not vote, travel freely, or hold certain jobs In some places, free African Americans had to have a white person represent them in any business transaction

Free African Americans and Discrimination Many white southerners argued that free African Americans could not take care of themselves and used this argument to justify slavery White southerners were very threatened by the very existence of free African Americans Threat to the institution of slavery

Chapter 13, Section 3 The Slave System

Slaves and Work Most enslaved Africans lived in rural areas where they worked on farms and plantations Most slaves on small farms did a variety of jobs On large plantations, slaves were assigned to specific jobs and most worked in the fields Supervisors known as “drivers” (often slaves themselves) made sure slaves followed orders and carried out punishment Slave owners demanded that slaves work as much as possible

Working in the Field Most plantation owners used the gang-labor system In this system, all field hands worked on the same task at the same time Worked from sunrise to sunset Men, women, and children older that 10 usually did the same tasks Sickness and poor weather conditions rarely stopped the work

Working in the Planter’s Home Some slaves worked at butlers, cooks, or nurses in the planter’s home Often had better food, clothing, and shelter than slaves who worked in the field but worked longer hours Served the planter’s family 24 hours a day

Working at Skilled Jobs On larger plantations, some slaves worked at skilled jobs Blacksmithing, carpentry Some slave owners would allow their slaves to sell their services to other people and collect a portion of the earnings This helped some enslaved Africans purchase their freedom

Life Under Slavery Slaveholders viewed slaves as property and not as human beings Bought and sold slaves to make a profit Most common method of sale were at slave auctions Auctions determined whether slave families would be separated or kept together Once separated, there was little hope for slave families to reunite Slave traders often kidnapped free African Americans and sold them into slavery

Living Conditions Poor living conditions Dirt floor cabins or shacks Few furnishing and leaky roofs Cheap clothing made of coarse fabric Some slaves tried to brighten up their clothing by sewing designs created from discarded scrap material Expression of individuality Slaves also tried to improve poor food rations Some planters allowed slaves to have small gardens to grow their own vegetables and have chickens for eggs

Punishment and Slave Codes Some planters offered more food or better living conditions to encourage obedience but most used punishment Harsh, inhumane punishment of a slave in front of other slaves would serve as a warning: Be obedient or else To further control the actions of slaves, some states passed strict laws called slave codes Prohibited to travel May not be educated

Slave Culture Slaves sought comfort within their slave communities and through their culture Slaves made time for social activities even after exhausting work days Relieved them from the hardships of their lives

Family and Community Family was the most important aspect of slave communities Constant fear of separation greater than the fear of punishment Slaves parents kept their heritage alive by passing down family histories as well as African customs and traditions Told Folktales to teach lessons about how to survive under slavery Stories with a moral Usually included a clever animal character called a “trickster” that would defeat a stronger animal by outwitting it Assured slaves that they could survive by outsmarting more powerful slaveholders

Religion By the early 1800’s, most slaves were Christians Came to see themselves, like the slaves in the Old Testament, as God’s chosen people much like the Hebrew Slaves in ancient Egypt Sang spirituals Emotional Christian songs that blended African and European music Slaves blended aspects of their traditional African religions with those of Christianity Worshipped in secret

Seeds of Rebellion Maintaining their own religious beliefs and practices was only one way in which enslaved people resisted control Small rebellion daily Sometimes they worked slower to protest long hours Sometimes they ran away to visit relatives Gaining freedom by escaping to the North was difficult If found, slaves were sent back were they faced certain punishment or death

Slave Uprisings Even though violent slave revolts were rare, white southerners lived in fear of them Two planned slave rebellions were stopped before they began Gabriel Prosser planned a rebellion near Richmond, VA in 1800 Denmark Vesey planned a rebellion in Charleston, SC in 1822 Local authorities executed those involved

Slave Uprisings Nat Turner’s Rebellion Most violent slave revolt in the country in 1831 A slave named Nat Turner from Southampton Country, VA believed that God told him to end all slavery Led a group of slaves in a plan to kill of the slaveholders and their families in the county Rebellion began by attacking the family that held Nat Turner a slave 60 whites were killed in the rebellion

Slave Uprisings More than 100 innocent slaves who were not a part of Nat Turner’s rebellion were killed in an attempt to stop the rebellion Nat Turner led authorities in a chase around the countryside for 6 weeks before he was captured Before his trial, Nat Turner confessed his belief that his actions were justified and that his execution would be worth it Nat Turner was executed on November 11, 1831 After the rebellion, many states strengthened their slave codes