Period 7
2 January 2014
In the time period between 1775 and 1830, African Americans started to gain more freedom in the North while the institution of slavery expanded in the South. This change occurred because of the different viewpoints and lifestyles of each region. The North being more industrial did not need labor work since most of the work was done in factories rather than a farm and also religious groups were against slavery. Compared to the South, with the invention of the cotton Gin by Eli Whitney, the South needed more labor work since their society depended more so on the agricultural side of things including farming, and thus they resorted to slavery. During the American Revolution, the British granted slaves freedom if they were to fight for the cause on their side rather than on the American side which was considered treasonous. Lord Dunmore’s proclamation offered freedom to those who would rebel from their masters and its purpose was to disable rebellion.(Doc A) Because of this proclamation, some slaves decided to leave the farms and help fight for the British to get their freedom. After the American Revolution, The North slowly started to rid itself of slavery while the South implemented slavery into their daily lives.The need for slavery in the South was mainly due to the production of cotton. With the invention of the Cotton Gin in 1793 by Eli Whitney cotton became a cash crop for the Southern society. The cotton gin automated the seed separation process while before that slaves had to do the work by hand. The cotton gin made it easier to produce cotton therefore many more farmers invested in cotton and bought more slaves to produce and pick cotton to sell. By the end of 1830, the amount of slavery in the North decreased 0-10% while areas in the South had 50% or more (Doc C). In the North, free African American men were not allowed to vote and take part in any political activity such as that a free white male would in the country. African Americans still had to pay taxes but they were not allowed to vote and they were not considered citizens but they were free and many African Americans became dissatisfied and disappointed. One person who got annoyed with the government was Paul Cuffe. Paul Cuffe’s petition essentially was asking the Massachusetts government to either give free African Americans voting rights or to stop taxing them.(Doc B) Another person who was tired of not being treated like a citizen although he was free was Prince Hall. Prince Hall argued that African Americans despite their hard labor and contributions they had made were not treated like Americans. On the other hand he also pointed out that in spite of all the jobs that are bombarding the slaves, they would overcome those hardships and would eventually obtain their freedom by fighting with the guidance of God.(Doc I) Enslaved Africans in the South also resisted their position of subservience. The Stono Rebellion in 1739 was an uprising of slaves in South Carolina, leading to the tightening of already harsh slave laws. Another rebellion that tightened slave laws was the Nat Turner rebellion in 1831. Slave laws were laws in each US state, which defined the status of slaves and the rights of masters. These codes gave slave-owners absolute power over the enslaved Africans. While some enslaved Africans were disobedient to their masters others were afraid to rebel against their owners. Many enslaved Africans looked to religion and peace rather than uprising against their owners.( Doc G) For example, Richard Allen was the founder of the first methodist church in Philadelphia which helped many free African Americans who were in trouble.(Doc D) Because the North and South had many differences in their perception of slavery, this caused many conflicts within the country. Slavery had been in the United States since 1619 and whether to keep it or not was a tough decision for some states. Many people tried to come up with different ideas to solve these issues among society and keep peace, but unfortunately in the long run the country split into two in 1860.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
From Slavery To freedom by John Hope Franklin, in chapter 7 the first topic that was brought up was King Cotton. In the domestic slave trade, which took place from 1808-1865. It talked about how technology supported expansion of slave labor. Eli Whitney`s 1794 intervention of the cotton gin. In Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama rapidly grew with the demand for cotton and sugarcane. Growing prosperity in new states caused wave of migrants and greater demand for slaves. This demand resulted in: acquisition of Florida, admission of Missouri as slave state, annexation of Texas, and war of Mexico.…
- 384 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin in the late 1800’s. Its original purpose was to help people separate cotton fibers from their seeds. This process was necessary in order to use the cotton in its proper way. This invention came at a time when slavery was starting to slowly become less crucial to the nation’s economy and freeing slaves was gaining momentum. The cotton gin soiled all plans of reducing slavery by increasing production of cotton and completely revamping slavery in the south. It made slaves monetarily worth more; by making cotton a cash crop; cheap to grow and much easier to pick.…
- 601 Words
- 3 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
The cotton gin gave birth to the American mass-production concept and brought the South prosperity, but still contributed to the growth of slavery. While the cotton gin reduced the labor of removing seeds, it did not reduce the need for slaves to grow and pick the cotton. Cotton growing became so profitable for the planters that it greatly increased their demand for both land and slave labor. Because…
- 319 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
To begin with, after hearing that Southern planters were in need of a way to make growing and producing cotton profitable Eli Whitney invented a machine he liked to call the cotton gin.2 Whitney’s invention was able to change the way cotton was harvested and cleaned. Slaves used to only be able to harvest a single pound a day but with this machine 50 pounds could be harvested in the same amount of…
- 718 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Bondage in America started in the mid seventeenth Century and kept on being honed for the following 250 years by the provinces and states. Slaves, for the most part from Africa, worked in the creation of tobacco products and later, cotton. With the innovation of the cotton gin in 1793 alongside the developing interest for the item in Europe, the utilization of slaves in the South turned into an establishment of their economy. In the late eighteenth century, the abolitionist development started in the north and the nation started to partition over the issue amongst North and South. The decision of Abraham Lincoln, an individual from the abolitionist subjugation Republican Party, to the administration in 1860 persuaded numerous southerners that…
- 1401 Words
- 6 Pages
Good Essays -
Essay on: How does the absence of humanitarian concerns influence the treatment of slaves during the slave trade?…
- 487 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Rank the items in the following list, starting with the one that you think had the most important consequences. Then justify your ranking. Finally, speculate as to what might have happened had these events not occurred.…
- 876 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Before the late 18th century, slavery was expected to become unprofitable and demise quickly. Many slave owners, including Thomas Jefferson, were even speaking openly of freeing their slaves. Either way, slavery was seen as a dying trend. By 1793, however, all of those predictions were shattered. Eli Whitney’s invention of the cotton gin had changed everything, deeply affecting the economic, political, and social lives of the American people.…
- 531 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
In 1793, Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin which provided a more efficient and quicker way to remove fibers from short-staple cotton in the process of making cotton. The cotton gin helped the southern economy rise. The North was building more buildings and becoming city-like; however, the easier and faster production of cotton kept the South using the land to farm and build cotton industries rather than building cities. Those that planted other items such as tobacco or rice saw the profits from the cotton; so, they grew cotton instead. Additionally, planting cotton required more land which was available in the lower southern area (Louisiana, Texas, etc). Population increased in the lower south area. Since there were more cotton industries,…
- 152 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
Slavery was a commonly debated issue during the early 1800’s. The issue of slavery caused individuals to question if slavery was against the Constitution. Slavery slowly was dying out in America, most prominently in the North, but when Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, the hope of slavery dying out in the South ended. Slaves were now a very important part of Southern economy, because unlike the industrialized North, the main source of income for the South was cotton farmed by thousands of slaves on plantations.…
- 227 Words
- 1 Page
Good Essays -
The United States by the begging of the nineteenth century is shrouded in a tumultuous political atmosphere. Since the United States have been established as a new nation, after the separation from Great Britain and the Revolutionary War, which events took precedence above all issues, now in the early years of the nineteenth century another great political dispute moves to the forefront and that is the issue of slavery. Because of a controversial ruling of the Supreme Court in 1857 slavery was legal and runaway would be hunted and returned to their owners in the event that they were caught. The results of this ruling by the Supreme Court only strengthened and increased the task of the Underground Railroad helping runaway slaves. Besides the Underground Railroad, abolitionists voiced their opinions about slavery, calling it evil in newspaper articles.…
- 337 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
The creation of the cotton gin, by Eli Whitney was significant in history because it gigantically impacted the african american slaves in america’s lives, dramatically increased the number and use of slaves, and sparked a series of events of the course of 68 years that eventually led up to the start of the civil war.…
- 723 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
The cotton gin, which is also called cotton engine, was created in the year of 1763. It was used to remove cotton and is 50 times faster than just using their hands. They use cotton for many things like making clothes, blankets, and many more. The cotton gin affected both the south and north economically, for the south, slavery increased because cotton are now able to process more and are in need for more slaves, another affect is that it made cotton more profitable, this happened because cotton fabric became cheaper. As for the north, it creates labor shortage; the reason is because slaves would no longer have to go to farms and take out the cotton seeds with their hand instead they would use the cotton gin. Another affected is that factories…
- 179 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
In the 1600’s slavery played an immense role in early America, as well as vastly impacting lives later on. There were many debates over whether slavery should be abolished, most of these debates were directed towards the presidents of this time frame which included James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, and Andrew Jackson. These men all shared the same opinion that slavery should be abolished because it is tyrannical and inequitable (Zucconi 1). The presidents during this dreadful time all claimed that slavery needs to be eradicated because no man should be able to own another because it is unjust. James Monroe believes that taking away and creating unequal rights is evil and it’s nefarious ways must be demolished. (Randall 20). An argument was made by James Madison that slavery played a big role in Virginia's government. Although, Virginia's government was democratic it was truly aristocratic (Zucconi 14). All in all, the presidents during this time frame are…
- 352 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
The reasons for the expansion of cotton and slavery in the antebellum south were the invention of the cotton gin that was invented by Eli Whitney. The textile benefited everyone, tobacco was losing its value, textile industries in Great Britain, and to make clothing materials you needed cotton. The impact of the domestic slave trade caused shattered families within African Americans, triggered separation in black slave families. Nat Tuner’s rebellion was important because it was a turning point. It was one of the biggest rebellions to take place in the U.S. The free black nation maintained their freedom by being called by the government do hunt…
- 432 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays