1. Bellwork:  Make a list of FIVE things you know about slavery and plantations.

2. The Plantation System 8-4.1

3. I. Development of Agriculture A. Antebellum Era: period of time in the South during the lead up to the Civil War B. Why was agriculture always the basis of SC’s economy? SC had fertile soil and many waterways. B. The headright system and availability of slaves led to the plantation system.

4. C. By 1860, SC had the highest percentage of slaveholders in the nation. A. Most people only owned one or two slaves. B. They lived on family or subsistence farms. C. Few slave owners owned large plantations. D. However, the economic, social and political systems in SC were based on slavery.

5. II. King Cotton A. In 1793, Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin. How did the cotton gin change the Upcountry? It made cotton a cash crop so the Upcountry had large plantations. B. After cotton plantations were created in the Upcountry, they got more equal political representation. 1. 1810: all white men over 21 given the right to vote, you don’t have to own property

6. II. King Cotton C. Cotton was sold to textile mills in the north and in England. 1. Textile mill: factory that makes cloth D. Cotton wore out the soil. This forced many planters to move west instead of finding a new crop because they made so much money from cotton. E. As the country expanded westward, Americans began fighting over having slavery on our new lands

7. 1.In what direction is slavery spreading in the US? 2.What geographic areas have the largest concentration of slaves? 3.Where is slavery disappearing from?

8. III. Plantation Life A. Plantations were “self-sustaining” communities: plantations were isolated and far from towns and had to be able to create or get everything they need. B. What does it mean that slaves were a “large financial investment”? Owners spent a lot of money on slaves and some treated them okay so they could work. Some owners didn’t care and treated them terribly. C. No matter how their owner treated them, all slaves were denied their freedom and forced to work long hours.

10. The “Big House” Drayton Hall: the vacation home 11,000 square feet

11. Middleton Place Gardens Calhoun House at Clemson University Monticello: Home of Thomas Jefferson

12. The “Big House”  Snee Farm: home of Charles Pinckney  More typical home of a plantation owner Why would the kitchen be detached from the main home?

13. III. Life on a Plantation A. The mistress oversaw the running of the house and cared for the sick. B. The master was in charge of all business decisions and the slaves.

14. Bellwork 1. Why did cotton planters have to move west? 2. What does it mean that slaves were a large financial investment?

15. IV. Slave Life A. Slaves worked in fields and in the plantation house. B. Slave men, women, and children worked from dawn to dusk six days a week. 1. They planted, cultivated and harvested the crop under the supervision of an overseer. 2. In the house, slaves cooked, cleaned, did laundry and worked as nannies. 3. Slaves with special skills like carpentry, blacksmiths, or seamstresses would be hired out to others. The owner would keep the money.

17. IV. Slave Life C. Slaves were given a minimum of food, shelter, and clothing. 1. They lived in small, dirt floor cabins close to the owner’s home. Why? So the owner could keep an eye on them. 2. Sometimes, owners gave slaves small plots to grow their own food.

18.  “single pen” = 16 by 18 feet with a chimney at one end  Sometimes a loft reached by ladder  Cabins grouped together on a “street” with several cabins facing each other across a lane

21. VI. Slave Life D. The law didn’t recognize slave marriages, so married couples and children were often sold apart. 1. Slaves formed extended “families” with others on the plantation. E. It was illegal to teach slaves to read and write. “One by one they dragged us forward, and a man shouted out prices to the crowd of likely buyers and baby Ruth cried, and Momma shook like the last leaf on a tree, and Poppa…and Poppa, he didn’t want them to bust up our family like we were sheep or hogs….Poppa fought like a lion when they came for him, the strongest lion, roaring; it took five of them with hickory clubs” (Anderson 11)

22. IV. Slave Life F. Slave had to have passes if they left the plantation. 1. Groups of men patrolled the road looking for runaways. 2. Slaves were punished harshly when caught.

24. IV. Slave Life G. There were few slave revolts, but slaves still protested: 1. Works low downs 2. Fake illnesses 3. Destruction of property

25. IV. Slave Life H. Slaves had to convert to Christianity. 1. Religion was an escape for them 2. Secret prayer meetings and in spirituals, they placed an emphasis on freedom.

26. Treatment of Slaves “Provisions will be issued weekly as follows: Field Hands. ­ ­ To each man, three and a half pounds bacon, and one and a half pecks meal. To each woman, girl and boy, two and a half pounds bacon, and one peck meal.”  9th. The clothing to be furnished each year will be as follows: --  To each man and boy, 1 woolen coat, 1 pair do. pants, 1 pair of do. socks, 1 shirt, 1 pair of shoes, 1 wool hat, and a blanket every second year, to be given 15th of November. 1 shirt, 1 pair of cotton pants, 1 straw hat, 1 pair of shoes, to be given 1st of June.

28. V. Planter Elite A. Planter elite enjoyed great wealth and influence but plantation life was still hard work. B. Why did Southerners think slavery was a positive good? Owners took care of slaves because slaves weren’t smart enough to care for themselves. C. They also said that slaves were better off than northern factory workers.

29. V. Planter Elite C. Why did Southerners think slavery was a positive good? Owners took care of slaves because slaves weren’t smart enough to care for themselves. D. They also said that slaves were better off than northern factory workers.