Chapter 11 Slavery and the Old South

1
Chapter 11Slavery and the Old South

• The American People, 6th ed.

2
Building a Diverse Cotton Kingdom
3
The Expansion of Slavery in a Global Economy

• In 1860 the American South, if independent, would
  have been one of the wealthiest countries in the
  world based on the revenue of the cotton trade.
• Cotton cultivation and its expansion depended on
  technological development, land, labor, demand,
  and a global system of trade.

4
(No Transcript)
5
(No Transcript)
6
Slavery in Latin America

• Europeans depended on African slavery in their
  New World colonies.
• African slaves were imported to replace the
  indigenous populations that were eradicated by
  disease.
• Sugar production was the cash crop for the Latin
  American holdings of the European powers.

7
White and Black Migrations in the South

• Between 1830 and 1860, southerners began to
  migrate in a southwest direction to fill up the
  fertile land and increase cotton production for
  the mills of England.
• The center of cotton production gradually shifted
  from South Carolina to Mississippi.
• An estimated 1 million slaves were transported
  westward by this white migration.

8
(No Transcript)
9
Paternalism and Honor in the Planter Class

• Most Southern males adhered to a long-standing
  tradition of medieval chivalry and aversion to
  industrialization.
• The Southern planters developed a paternalistic
  attitude towards his slaves a kindly
  father-and-child relationship.
• An intensely masculine code of honor placed the
  virtue of women on a pedestal.
• The smallest insult could lead to pistol duels.

10
Yeoman Farmers

• Most slaveholders (70 percent) belonged to the
  mid-level yeoman farmer class.
• A Yeoman farmer might have owned as many as ten
  slaves, but usually work alongside them.
• 75 percent of all southerners held no slaves at
  all.

11
(No Transcript)
12
(No Transcript)
13
Justifying Slavery

• Biblical Justification ancient curse upon Ham,
  a child of Noah and other references
• Historical Justification all great
  civilizations participated in slavery
• Legal Justification the U.S. Constitution
  refused to address slavery directly
• Scientific Justification multiple theories
  regarding inferiority of the black race
• Sociological Justification the black race as
  societal children that needed paternalistic
  guidance

14
Daily Toil

• Slaves were expected to work an average of 14
  hours per day during warm weather and 10 hours in
  the winter.
• Work gangs of 20 to 25 slaves labored under the
  whip of a slave driver.
• The task system allowed slaves to finish a
  designated task each day at their own pace.
• A normal slave was expected to pick 130 to 150
  pounds of cotton a day.

15
(No Transcript)
16
Slave Law and the Family

• The legal status of slaves in the South was never
  fully resolved, leading to a wide range of laws
  governing the treatment of African Americans.
• Marriages between slaves were often arranged for
  optimal genetic reproduction.
• Slave families were often separated.

17
Black Christianity

• Christian worship was an integral part of life in
  the slave quarters.
• Black Christianity often included aspects of
  Islamic and African religions.
• Black religious gatherings were usually forbidden
  unless a white overseer was present.
• For the white planters, religion became a type of
  social control.

18
The Enduring Family

• Family relationships were central to the lives of
  most slaves.
• Slaves could draw love, protection, support,
  knowledge, and cultural identity from these
  extended families.
• Slaves often performed extra work to provide
  extra food and clothing for their families.

19
Forms of Black Protest

• Daily acts of resistance might include breaking
  of tools, burning houses or crops, stealing food,
  self mutilation or simple work slowdowns.
• Females might fake sickness or menstrual cramps.
• The ultimate forms were murder or running away.

20
(No Transcript)
21
(No Transcript)