1. African-Americans at Mid Century
Chapter 19

2. 19.1 Introduction
Of the 23 Million people living in the U.S 3.6 Million were African Americans (15%)

3. 19.2 North and South, Slave and Free
Slaves’ Legal Status:
Slaves were property not people and the owners could do what ever they wanted with them
Rural and Urban Slaves:
Most slaves worked on farms and plantations
Some were hired out and worked in factories and their pay was given to their owners.

4. 19.2 Continued… Free Blacks in the South:
In the South free blacks could not travel by themselves, carry guns and work some jobs
Free Blacks in the North:
In the north even though free African-Americans were segregated and discriminated against.
Free blacks in the North created the National Council of Colored People to protest the treatment that they received.

5. 19.3 The Economics of Slavery
Cotton farming increased and so did slavery
Slaves became more expensive so farmers took better care of them

6. 19.4 Working Conditions of Slaves
Small farms owners worked alongside slaves
Large farms owners hired workers to watch and make slaves work harder
Slaves worked all day and all night
Slaves worked from age six until they died

7. Questions
What was the percentage of Africans Americans living in America during this time period?
Slaves owners were allowed to do anything that they wanted to do to their slaves because slaves were seen as what?
Most slaves worked on farms, but others were hired out to what types of jobs?
What were three stipulations that were placed on free blacks in the South?
What did free blacks in the North create to help with the discrimination and the segregation of African Americans in the U.S?
What was the main reason that slave owners in the South started to treat their slaves better than they did in the past?
What was the difference between small and large farms in the way that the owners worked with their slaves?
What was the age range that African American slaves worked in the South?

8. 19.5 Living Conditions of Slaves
Slave Masters only gave slaves enough to survive
Slaves were given plenty of food because they could not work without it
Slave owners gave their slaves limited clothes that were rough “Potato sacks”
Slaves were given better medical help then most whites in the North and South

9. 19.6 Controlling Slaves
Some slave masters beat and whipped their slaves and others treated them as grown up children
They treated them as children so slaves felt dependent on their owners for everything
Edward Covey was a slave breaker. He would beat and break down slaves that were rebellious

10. 19.7 Resistance to Slavery Day to Day Resistance:
Slaves rebelled by breaking fences, tools and setting fires to homes and barns
Slaves that cooked would sometimes put poison in their owner’s food.
Open Defiance:
Some slaves used violence as a reaction to violence
Fredrick Douglas almost killed Covey when he beat Douglas for no reason

11. 19.7 Continued… Running Away:
Slaves tried to escape and owners would send out slave catchers
Most traveled at night following the North Star to the North
Some mailed themselves to the North in boxes and Coffins
Rebellion:
Nat Turner a slave started a rebellion with other slaves
In 2 days he and his followers killed every white person that they could find with axes and guns (57 people were hacked to death)

12. Questions
Slave owners only gave slaves enough to survive except for food, what was the reason that slaves received lots of food?
What was the one thing that slaves were given more of then free whites in the North and the South?
What were the two ways that slave owners treated their slaves in order for them to listen and do what they say?
Who was the man that was a famous slave breaker and what does a slave breaker do?
What were the three ways that slaves rebelled against their slave owners?
Slaves that worked in the kitchens of their owners sometimes did what to their owner’s food?
What happened between Fredrick Douglas and Covey and why did it happen?
Who was sent out by slave owners to find a slave that has ran away without permission?
What did run away slaves use to guide them to the North to escape slavery?
In a paragraph please explain who Nat Turner is and why he is important?

13. 19.8 Slave Families and Communities
Slave families were not allowed, so slaves did their own marriages
Slave families were often broke apart by being sold
Most children were taught lessons by their parents about respect and love
These lessons helped them survive

14. 19.9 Leisure Time Activities
Slaves did not have to work on Saturday nights and Sundays
They would get together and have social events
Slave women got together and had quilting bees
Slaves also made music together with anything that they could find that made noise
On Sundays slaves went to church and had fun all day

15. 19.10 Slave Churches
Slave holders encouraged their slaves to go to church
Churches told slaves to obey their masters and slaves did not like that
Slaves had their own churches where they learned what they wanted
Learned about Moses and how he helped the slaves escape
Religion gave slaves something to look forward to

16. 19.11 African American Culture
Slaves combined their old ways and the new ways to create a new culture
Slaves created quilts and songs to show their history
Dancing let them express themselves
Folktales were created to share stories of past and present

17. Questions
Slave families were not allowed on farms and plantations so what did slaves do in secret?
How were most slave families broken apart in the South?
What were the days that slaves had off from working on farms and plantations?
What would woman come together and create as a type of social event?
Slaves would search the farms and plantations for anything that made noise so they could all get together and do what?
What did slave owners encourage their slaves to do on Sundays and what did they learn there?
The importance of religion to slaves was that it gave them what?
How did African American slaves create their new culture?
What was the importance of quilts to African American slaves?
What were created in order to share stories of the past and the present?

18. Slave Journal Entry
Imagine you are a slave who helped create a story quilt.
Write an entry in your journal that explains your quilt.
Include:
A date and location ex. Nov. 4, 1853, Johnson Plantation, South Carolina
An intro explaining how you created the quilt square.
Explain what the symbols represent on your quilt square
2 statements to future generations that explain what you think is most important to remember about slavery.