1. Chapter 20 African Americans at Mid-Century

2. C20.2 North and South, Slave and Free  slaves were property, no rights  most slaves did farm work  city slaves in factories, mills, workshops  free blacks in South were controlled - no travel, no guns - denied most jobs  free blacks in North faced discrimination, segregation  built own churches, schools, businesses

3. C20.3 The Economics of Slavery  cotton gin made cotton profitable  cotton made South 4 th richest place in world  wanted slaves so more profit  demand and price of slaves rose  slaveholders unwilling to end the system  non-slaveholders supported it; dreamed of getting rich, too

4. C20.4 Working Conditions of Slaves  small farms: slaves & owners work together  plantations: overseer supervise slaves  field hands worked dawn to dark  chores after dark  other slaves: seamstresses, carpenters, blacksmiths, cooks, servants  from age 6 to death

5. C20.5 Living Conditions of Slaves  crowded, one room cabins  dirt floors  little or no furniture  most had enough food - kept gardens, hunted  clothes were of course linen (2 outfits per year)  one pair of shoes per year  received some medical care

6. C20.6 Controlling Slaves  some punished harshly - beat, whipped, branded  others made slaves feel dependent like children  slavebreakers used violence, fear, overwork to make slaves obey  most owners tried to avoid beatings

7. C20.7 Resistance to Slavery  damage tools  work sloppily  steal food from master  pretend to be dumb, ill, insane  poison master  set master’s house on fire  refuse to work  fight back  run away  rebellion (Denmark Vesey, Nat Turner)

8. C20.8 Slave Families and Communities  legally no slave families  slaves couldn’t marry  slaves made families anyway  children belonged to owners  families often sold apart  parents taught children survival lessons  taught respect for elders

9. C20.9 Leisure Time Activities  slaves had free time Sat. night and Sunday  corn-husking parties  pea-shelling parties  quilting bees  danced  made music out of almost anything  Sunday was for religion & recreation  activities helped them forget slavery

10. C20.10 Slave Churches  white ministers told slaves to obey masters  slaves created “invisible churches”  met in secret  preached about Moses setting people free  sang spirituals  helped them endure their suffering

11. C20.11 African American Culture  slaves mixed African traditions with American ideas  Examples:  quilts  songs  dances  legends  folktales