American Slavery

1
American Slavery
2
Triangle Trade

• Europeans traveled to Africa to capture slaves
  beginning in the 1500s
• Europeans traded guns and goods for African
  slaves
• Slaves were packed into ships during the Middle
  Passage
• The terrible trip to the New World lasted four
  months

3
Slave Auctions

• Slaves arriving in the US were sold at slave
  auctions
• Men were chosen for strength
• Women chosen for breeding
• Families were split up and sold to different
  owners

4
Plantation System

• The southern colonies provided the soil and
  climate for cotton
• White plantation owners imported African slaves
  to harvest cotton
• Plantations were huge farms, with 100s of acres
  and slaves

5
The Big House

• Field hands had the hardest work, but servants
  worked in the Big House cooking, cleaning, and
  doing chores
• Servants in the houses viewed as privileged
  compared with the field hands

6
The Cotton Gin

• In 1793 Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin
• Machine allowed seeds to be taken out of cotton,
  reducing the time to make cotton
• Cotton became much more profitable and slavery
  expanded in the South

7
A Brutal System

• Slaves were often branded to show who owned them
• Slaves were beaten by overseers
• Female slaves were sometimes raped by owners
• Owners threatened to sell family members

8
Christianity

• Many slaves became Christians
• The Bible promised salvation from the
  difficulties of slave life
• Spirituals sung during slavery became the basis
  for Gospel music

9
Escape

• Many slaves tried to escape North
• Slave catchers, with dogs. were given rewards for
  capturing runaways.
• However, some slaves were successful and escaped
  to the safety of the North

10
The Underground Rail Road

• People opposed to slavery, both white and black,
  aided escaping slaves
• They helped slaves cross rivers, gave them food
  and shelter on their journey North
• This network of people was was called the
  Underground Railroad
• Harriet Tubman brought over 300 slaves to safety

11
Slave Rebellions

• Some slaves rebelled against their masters.
• The most famous rebellion was led by a slave and
  preacher Nat Turner
• His rebel slaves killed over 60 slave owners and
  their families
• He was captured and hung, but his rebellion
  struck fear into slave owners in the South

12
Abolitionism

• Abolitionism was the movement to end slavery
  before the Civil War
• It was a movement supported by both blacks and
  whites
• The Anti-Slavery Society in the North called for
  the immediate end to slavery in the South

13
Different Abolitionist Voices

• The most famous abolitionist was former slave
  Frederick Douglass
• He wrote, spoke, and protested slavery,
  advocating non-violent methods
• White Abolitionist John Brown advocated violence,
  and took up arms against the slaveholders, before
  he was captured and hung.

14
The Power of the Pen

• Many abolitionist wrote against slavery
• Frederick Douglass published his North Star
• William Lloyd Garrison edited the Liberator
• Author Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote a book on the
  evils of slavery called Uncle Toms Cabin

15
Speaking Out

• The Grimke sisters spoke against slavery, even
  though their father owned slaves
• Sojourner Truth, a former slave, spoke for
  freeing the slaves and giving women equal rights
• She met with President Lincoln in 1864, who asked
  her to stay in Washington to help the freed
  slaves.