1. Section 3 – pg 270 The Plantation South
Chapter 7
Section 3 – pg 270
The Plantation South

2. Pg 270
The Cotton Kingdom
As the North became more urban and industrialized, the South remained mainly rural
2 events changed life in the South
A boom in textiles cause by the Industrial Revolution created greater demand for cotton
New invention in the South helped them meet demands

3. Pg 270
The Cotton Gin
Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, which used a spiked cylinder to remove seeds from cotton fibers
Cotton could now be processed 50 times faster
Growing cotton became more profitable

4. Pg
Slave Labor
To grow more cotton, planters used more slave labor
In 1790, there were abt 698,000 enslaved AAs in the US
By 1860, there were nearly 4 million
During this time, the price of a slave increased 10 to 20 times
Cotton became the greatest source of wealth for the US
Enriched planters in the South, and bankers and ship-owners in the North
Cotton production grew
10 times between 1790
and 1820

5. States in the South were not alike
Pg 271
States in the South were not alike
Alabama and Mississippi depended on cotton and had large populations of enslaved people
Kentucky had less cotton plantations and less enslaved ppl
“Cotton Kingdom” was dominated by owners of large plantations
Small but wealthy class
Sent children to finest schools
More than half of all Southern farmers did not have slaves
Grew corn and raised hogs and chickens

6. Pg 271
Defending Slavery
Most southern whites accepted the system of slavery
Feared any weakening of controls over AAs would encourage violent uprisings
By the 1830s, some ppl in the North were urging that slavery be banned
In response, southern whites hardened their support for slavery
Argued that slavery was more humane than the free labor system of the North
Slaves did not have to worry about unemployment

7. Pg 272
Critics of slavery argued that northern workers were free to quit a job and take another if conditions became too harsh
Slaves often suffered physical or other abuse from owners

8. African Americans in the South
Pg 272
African Americans in the South
Not all of the 4 million AAs in the South were enslaved
Abt 253,000 (6%) were free
Many had bought their freedom
Few did well, especially in cities like New Orleans, but most did not

9. Restrictions on Free African Americans
Laws denied rights to free African Americans
Could not hold any complicated jobs
Children could not go to public school
Could not vote, serve on juries, or testify against white defendants in court
Discouraged from travelling
Slave catchers often kidnapped free slaves and sold them into slavery Pg

10. Free AAs made valuable contributions to southern life
Norbert Rillieux revolutionized the sugar industry
Method of refining sugar made the process faster, safer, and less costly
Henry Blair developed a seed-planting device that reduced the time a farmer spent sowing a crop
Pg 273

11. Life Under Slavery Enslaved African Americans had no rights
Pg 273
Life Under Slavery
Enslaved African Americans had no rights
Slave codes: laws that controlled everything aspect of their lives
Kentucky court ruled in 1828 “a slave by our code is not treated as a person but as a thing”
Many enslaved AAs became skillful workers
Served as housekeepers, butlers, nannies
Became trusted house servants

12. Majority did heavy farm labor
Pg 273
Majority did heavy farm labor
Many worked slaves to the edge of death
Received whippings for all offenses
Only reason to not mistreat a slave was because they were valuable property
Many families were broken apart and sold to different plantations

13. After 1808, it was illegal to import Africans to the US
Pg 274
After 1808, it was illegal to import Africans to the US
AAs had little contact with Africa
African customs, music, and dance survived in daily life as passed down through generations
AAs found hope in the Bible
Many composed spirituals, religious folk songs that blend Biblical themes with the realities of slavery

14. Pg 274
Resistance to Slavery
Many AAs did what they could to resist slaveholders
Some worked slowly, or pretended to not understand what they were told to do
Some purposely broke farm equipment
Sometimes resistance turned into rebellion
Nat Turner led the most famous slave revolt in 1831
He and others killed 60 whites
In reprisal, many innocent AAs were executed