The American Pageant Chapter 50 Essay
The American Pageant
Chapter 16 The South and the Slavery Controversy 1793-1860
A. Cotton is King 1. Eli Whitney’s 1793 cotton gin made possible wide-scale cultivation of short-staple cotton a. Cotton quickly became more profitable than tobacco, rice, and sugar 2. The increased demand for cotton led to an increase demand for labor a. Quick profits drew planters to the Gulf states b. More land led to more need for slaves which led to an increase in cotton production which repeated the cycle 3. Northern shippers sold cotton to Great Britain a. 1840- cotton was 50% of all exports b. Much of the British textile industry was dependant on the cotton produced by slave labor in the U.S. …show more content…
c. 75% of British cotton came from the U.S. d. Southerners believed that the British dependence on cotton would force GB to defend the South if necessary 4. Southerners believed that “Cotton was King”
B. Planter Aristocracy 1. The south was more of an oligarchy (rule by the few) than a democracy 2. Planter elite were very wealthy, highly educated, political and social leaders a. By 1850 there were 1,733 families who owed 100 or more slaves each these families comprised the “cottonocracy” b. Planter elite liked to view themselves as the noble class of the 19th century c. Planter elite took pride in their feudalistic society 3. Author Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe (1819) a. Jousting tournaments were held in the South 4. Only ¼ of southern whites owned slaves or were a member of a slave holding family a. Most southern whites were subsistence farmers b. Slaves were too expensive for most southern whites 5. Women were in charge of the household slaves (mostly female slaves) but remained very much subservient to the man of the house a. Southern women very rarely participated in the women’s rights movement going on in the North
C. Slaves of the Slave System 1. Cotton and slaves was a one-crop investment that could prove very costly a. Slaves had to be housed, fed, and managed b. They could get sick, become injured or run away c. Buying slaves was a rich man’s investment 2. Southerners resented northerners getting rich at their expense a. Northerners served as bankers, middlemen, and shippers b. The one-crop dependence on cotton meant that southerners were dependent on the north for all of their manufactured products (from cradle to grave) 3. Lack of immigrant settlement made for a growing disparity between North and South a. Lack of economic opportunity kept European immigrants out of the South (especially the large numbers of Irish and German immigrants) b. The land was too expensive c. Immigrants did not have any knowledge of how to grow cotton The South ended up being the most Anglo-Saxon region of the country
D. The White Majority (graphic pg. 353) 1. ¼ of white families owned less than 10 slaves a. These smaller slave owning families made up a majority of the slave masters b. They lived modestly and worked beside their slaves in the fields 2. Many white farmers owned no slaves at all a. 1860 ¾ of all southern whites owned no slaves b. Lived in the back country and valley regions of the South c. Called the elite the “snobocracy” d. Red-necked farmers lived isolated lives e. Socialization consisted of religious camp meetings f. The elite referred to the non-slaveholding farmers as • “poor white trash,” “hillbillies,” “crackers,” or “clay eaters” g. Many back country farmers were not lazy, but suffered from malnutrition and parasites which caused lethargy 3. Why would these non-slaveholding whites fight for slavery? a. Many poor white farmers hoped to make enough money to own slaves one day. They were striving to be like the larger slave owning farmers b. Poor white farmers believed that whites were a superior race to blacks. c. Slavery allowed the poor white farmers to outrank someone socially 4. Mountain Whites a. As land became plentiful in the south and west, small farmers sold their land to the larger plantation owners b. Lived in the valley regions of the Appalachian Mountains • (western Virginia, northern Georgia, Alabama) c. Living in frontier conditions d. Civilization had passed them by e. These whites hated both the planter elite and blacks f. These regions eventually became a stronghold of the Republican Party under Lincoln g. Looked at the Civil War as a rich man’s war that did not involve them
E. Free Blacks: Slaves without Masters 1. By 1860 there were 250,000 free blacks in the South a. Some had been freed during the Revolutionary War b. Mulatto children were sometimes freed by their white fathers c. Some slaves purchased their freedom over time d. Some freed blacks owned property (especially in the region around New Orleans) • William T. Johnson was a black man who even owned slaves
e. Freed southern slaves were considered a “third race” • Were forbidden to work in certain occupations • Could not vote • Could not testify in court against a white person • Could be captured and enslaved by slave traders 2. Slaves in the North a) Denied the right to vote & in many instances the right to public education b) Northern blacks faced discrimination from immigrant groups who competed with them for jobs Southerners often liked individual blacks but detested the race. Northerners professed to like the race, but disliked individual blacks.
F. Plantation Slavery 1. 1808- legal importation of slaves ended (as agreed in Article I, Section 9) 2. “Black ivory” (slaves) were still smuggled into the U.S. up to the outbreak of the Civil War 3. Most of the increase in the number of slaves in the U.S. came from reproduction 4. Family life existed, and in some regards was encouraged, in the South 5. Some females were promised their freedom once they gave birth to 10 children 6. Slave owners considered their slaves as investments and in some cases treated their slaves well to reap the most benefit from them 7. King Cotton pulled more and more slaves into the “deep South” • Deep South—SC, FL, MS, AL, LA • Slaves comprised the majority of the population in most of these states • Slaves from tobacco depleted states like Virginia were “sent down the river” (the Mississippi River) to work in the fields of the deep south 8. Slave auctions still occurred (even though slave importation was illegal) • Families were often separated • Graphically depicted in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin
G. Life under the lash 1. No civil or political rights for slaves 2. Conditions varied from plantation to plantation 3. All worked sun up to sundown 4. There was always an overseer with a whip ensuring that the slaves were working 5. Whippings called floggings were common 6. Trouble causing slaves were sent to “breakers” 7. 1860- most slaves were concentrated into the “black belt” of the deep South • (SC, GA, and the new states of AL, MS, and LA) • Where the cotton kingdom had developed, conditions for slaves were the most harsh 9. The Second Great Awakening brought Christianity to slaves
H. Slaves fighting slavery 1. Some slaves fought slavery passively by a. Working only as hard as they had to not to be beaten (led to the myth of black laziness) b. Stole food and other goods from their owners c. Skillfully broke farm equipment d. Poisoned master’s food 2. Others took more aggressive action against slavery a. They ran away b. Participated in slave revolts: o 1800- Richmond, Virginia revolt leaders were hanged o 1822- Charleston, South Carolina led by Denmark Vesey 30 were hanged o 1831- Nat Turner (Preacher) encouraged raids on white farms which killed 60+ in Virginia the blacks involved were rounded up and killed Southerners often lived in a fear of slave revolts which in reality were the least common and least successful form of slave resistance
I.
Early Abolitionism 1. American Colonization Society 1817 a. Formed to send free African Americans to Africa as an alternative to emancipation b. 1822 ACS established a colony on the west coast of Africa a colony that became the independent nation of Liberia c. By 1867, the ACS had sent more than 13,000 African Americans to emigrants 2. 1833—Great Britain freed its slaves in the West Indies 3. The Second Great Awakening inflamed and informed people of the injustices of slavery a. Theodore Dwight Weld- famous abolitionist speaker of the Burned Over District b. Arthur and Lewis Tappan- New York merchants who paid for Weld to go to Lane Theological Seminary in Ohio c. Weld and his “Lane Rebels” went out across the northwest preaching abolitionism and the Gospel d. 1839- Weld wrote “American Slavery As It Is” this widely circulated pamphlet inspired many, including Harriet Beecher Stowe
J. Radical Abolitionism 1. “The Liberator” 1831 an abolitionist newspaper printed in Boston written by William Lloyd
Garrison • Garrison was inspired by the Second Great Awakening • Garrison proposed for the immediate abolition of slaves in the South 2. 1831- American Anti-Slavery Society was established by the Tappan brothers in New York a. 1833- American Anti-Slavery Society became a national organization b. William Lloyd Garrison, Theodore Weld, Frederick Douglass became the main figures in the society c. Its main supporters were religious groups such as the Quakers and free black churches d. Angelina Grimke and Sarah Grimke became the first women to lecture for the society • The Grimkes were the targets of sexism as many religious leaders did not believe that they should have the ability to lecture publicly • Their decision to fight such ridicule made them leaders in the women’s rights movement and the abolitionist movement e. Other women gradually became very involved in the Anti-Slavery Society • Women such as Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Lucy Stone and Amelia Bloomer received national recognition in the abolitionist movement f. The society arranged meetings, petition campaigns, printed and distributed anti-slavery propaganda g. 1840—the society had 250,000 members in 2,000 chapters 3. Other Radical Abolitionists a. Wendell Phillips—advocated a bloody end to white supremacy b. Sojourner Truth—freed black slave who advocated for both black emancipation and women’s rights c. Martin Delaney—black leader who wanted re-colonization in Africa d. Frederick Douglass—escaped slave who lectured widely and received death threats and beatings by angry mobs 1) 1854 Douglass publicly burned a copy of the Constitution 2) Douglass pressured politicians to end slavery
K. Political parties supported by abolitionists 1. 1840 Liberty Party—political party based on abolitionism, merged with the Free Soil Party in 1848 2. 1848 Free Soil Party—formed in 1848 to oppose slavery in the territory acquired in the Mexican War, most of its members joined the Republican party by 1854 3. 1850s Republican Party—organized in 1854 by anti-slavery Whigs, Democrats, and Free Soilers in response to the Kansas-Nebraska Act
L. South Lashes Back 1. 1830-1831 the issue of abolition was debated in the Virginia legislature • Reaction to these debates ended abolitionism in the South as states tightened their slave codes 2. 1831 Nat Turner’s slave revolt 3. 1832 Nullification Crisis 4. Pro-slavery Southerners claimed • They were kind to bring slaves from the jungle to Christianity • The master-slave relationship was like a family • They believed that urban industrial workers were more unhappy than slaves
5. Southerners tried to stop abolition • 1835 Mob in Charleston, South Carolina burned abolitionist propaganda at the post office • 1835 Federal government (Jackson) ordered postmasters to destroy abolitionist mail • 1836 “Gag resolution” stopped anti-slavery petitions from being debated in Congress
M. Not all northerners were abolitionists 1. Wanted to live by the existing slave clauses in the Constitution, did not see the need for abolition 2. Southerners owed $300 million to northern banks 3. Northern textile mills relied on southern cotton 4. Believed that radical abolitionists, like Garrison, were too extreme 5. Did not want abolition, but didn’t want slavery extended to new territories either
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Chapter 16 The South and the Slavery Controversy 1793-1860
A. Cotton is King 1. Eli Whitney’s 1793 cotton gin made possible wide-scale cultivation of short-staple cotton a. Cotton quickly became more profitable than tobacco, rice, and sugar 2. The increased demand for cotton led to an increase demand for labor a. Quick profits drew planters to the Gulf states b. More land led to more need for slaves which led to an increase in cotton production which repeated the cycle 3. Northern shippers sold cotton to Great Britain a. 1840- cotton was 50% of all exports b. Much of the British textile industry was dependant on the cotton produced by slave labor in the U.S. …show more content…
c. 75% of British cotton came from the U.S. d. Southerners believed that the British dependence on cotton would force GB to defend the South if necessary 4. Southerners believed that “Cotton was King”
B. Planter Aristocracy 1. The south was more of an oligarchy (rule by the few) than a democracy 2. Planter elite were very wealthy, highly educated, political and social leaders a. By 1850 there were 1,733 families who owed 100 or more slaves each these families comprised the “cottonocracy” b. Planter elite liked to view themselves as the noble class of the 19th century c. Planter elite took pride in their feudalistic society 3. Author Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe (1819) a. Jousting tournaments were held in the South 4. Only ¼ of southern whites owned slaves or were a member of a slave holding family a. Most southern whites were subsistence farmers b. Slaves were too expensive for most southern whites 5. Women were in charge of the household slaves (mostly female slaves) but remained very much subservient to the man of the house a. Southern women very rarely participated in the women’s rights movement going on in the North
C. Slaves of the Slave System 1. Cotton and slaves was a one-crop investment that could prove very costly a. Slaves had to be housed, fed, and managed b. They could get sick, become injured or run away c. Buying slaves was a rich man’s investment 2. Southerners resented northerners getting rich at their expense a. Northerners served as bankers, middlemen, and shippers b. The one-crop dependence on cotton meant that southerners were dependent on the north for all of their manufactured products (from cradle to grave) 3. Lack of immigrant settlement made for a growing disparity between North and South a. Lack of economic opportunity kept European immigrants out of the South (especially the large numbers of Irish and German immigrants) b. The land was too expensive c. Immigrants did not have any knowledge of how to grow cotton The South ended up being the most Anglo-Saxon region of the country
D. The White Majority (graphic pg. 353) 1. ¼ of white families owned less than 10 slaves a. These smaller slave owning families made up a majority of the slave masters b. They lived modestly and worked beside their slaves in the fields 2. Many white farmers owned no slaves at all a. 1860 ¾ of all southern whites owned no slaves b. Lived in the back country and valley regions of the South c. Called the elite the “snobocracy” d. Red-necked farmers lived isolated lives e. Socialization consisted of religious camp meetings f. The elite referred to the non-slaveholding farmers as • “poor white trash,” “hillbillies,” “crackers,” or “clay eaters” g. Many back country farmers were not lazy, but suffered from malnutrition and parasites which caused lethargy 3. Why would these non-slaveholding whites fight for slavery? a. Many poor white farmers hoped to make enough money to own slaves one day. They were striving to be like the larger slave owning farmers b. Poor white farmers believed that whites were a superior race to blacks. c. Slavery allowed the poor white farmers to outrank someone socially 4. Mountain Whites a. As land became plentiful in the south and west, small farmers sold their land to the larger plantation owners b. Lived in the valley regions of the Appalachian Mountains • (western Virginia, northern Georgia, Alabama) c. Living in frontier conditions d. Civilization had passed them by e. These whites hated both the planter elite and blacks f. These regions eventually became a stronghold of the Republican Party under Lincoln g. Looked at the Civil War as a rich man’s war that did not involve them
E. Free Blacks: Slaves without Masters 1. By 1860 there were 250,000 free blacks in the South a. Some had been freed during the Revolutionary War b. Mulatto children were sometimes freed by their white fathers c. Some slaves purchased their freedom over time d. Some freed blacks owned property (especially in the region around New Orleans) • William T. Johnson was a black man who even owned slaves
e. Freed southern slaves were considered a “third race” • Were forbidden to work in certain occupations • Could not vote • Could not testify in court against a white person • Could be captured and enslaved by slave traders 2. Slaves in the North a) Denied the right to vote & in many instances the right to public education b) Northern blacks faced discrimination from immigrant groups who competed with them for jobs Southerners often liked individual blacks but detested the race. Northerners professed to like the race, but disliked individual blacks.
F. Plantation Slavery 1. 1808- legal importation of slaves ended (as agreed in Article I, Section 9) 2. “Black ivory” (slaves) were still smuggled into the U.S. up to the outbreak of the Civil War 3. Most of the increase in the number of slaves in the U.S. came from reproduction 4. Family life existed, and in some regards was encouraged, in the South 5. Some females were promised their freedom once they gave birth to 10 children 6. Slave owners considered their slaves as investments and in some cases treated their slaves well to reap the most benefit from them 7. King Cotton pulled more and more slaves into the “deep South” • Deep South—SC, FL, MS, AL, LA • Slaves comprised the majority of the population in most of these states • Slaves from tobacco depleted states like Virginia were “sent down the river” (the Mississippi River) to work in the fields of the deep south 8. Slave auctions still occurred (even though slave importation was illegal) • Families were often separated • Graphically depicted in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin
G. Life under the lash 1. No civil or political rights for slaves 2. Conditions varied from plantation to plantation 3. All worked sun up to sundown 4. There was always an overseer with a whip ensuring that the slaves were working 5. Whippings called floggings were common 6. Trouble causing slaves were sent to “breakers” 7. 1860- most slaves were concentrated into the “black belt” of the deep South • (SC, GA, and the new states of AL, MS, and LA) • Where the cotton kingdom had developed, conditions for slaves were the most harsh 9. The Second Great Awakening brought Christianity to slaves
H. Slaves fighting slavery 1. Some slaves fought slavery passively by a. Working only as hard as they had to not to be beaten (led to the myth of black laziness) b. Stole food and other goods from their owners c. Skillfully broke farm equipment d. Poisoned master’s food 2. Others took more aggressive action against slavery a. They ran away b. Participated in slave revolts: o 1800- Richmond, Virginia revolt leaders were hanged o 1822- Charleston, South Carolina led by Denmark Vesey 30 were hanged o 1831- Nat Turner (Preacher) encouraged raids on white farms which killed 60+ in Virginia the blacks involved were rounded up and killed Southerners often lived in a fear of slave revolts which in reality were the least common and least successful form of slave resistance
I.
Early Abolitionism 1. American Colonization Society 1817 a. Formed to send free African Americans to Africa as an alternative to emancipation b. 1822 ACS established a colony on the west coast of Africa a colony that became the independent nation of Liberia c. By 1867, the ACS had sent more than 13,000 African Americans to emigrants 2. 1833—Great Britain freed its slaves in the West Indies 3. The Second Great Awakening inflamed and informed people of the injustices of slavery a. Theodore Dwight Weld- famous abolitionist speaker of the Burned Over District b. Arthur and Lewis Tappan- New York merchants who paid for Weld to go to Lane Theological Seminary in Ohio c. Weld and his “Lane Rebels” went out across the northwest preaching abolitionism and the Gospel d. 1839- Weld wrote “American Slavery As It Is” this widely circulated pamphlet inspired many, including Harriet Beecher Stowe
J. Radical Abolitionism 1. “The Liberator” 1831 an abolitionist newspaper printed in Boston written by William Lloyd
Garrison • Garrison was inspired by the Second Great Awakening • Garrison proposed for the immediate abolition of slaves in the South 2. 1831- American Anti-Slavery Society was established by the Tappan brothers in New York a. 1833- American Anti-Slavery Society became a national organization b. William Lloyd Garrison, Theodore Weld, Frederick Douglass became the main figures in the society c. Its main supporters were religious groups such as the Quakers and free black churches d. Angelina Grimke and Sarah Grimke became the first women to lecture for the society • The Grimkes were the targets of sexism as many religious leaders did not believe that they should have the ability to lecture publicly • Their decision to fight such ridicule made them leaders in the women’s rights movement and the abolitionist movement e. Other women gradually became very involved in the Anti-Slavery Society • Women such as Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Lucy Stone and Amelia Bloomer received national recognition in the abolitionist movement f. The society arranged meetings, petition campaigns, printed and distributed anti-slavery propaganda g. 1840—the society had 250,000 members in 2,000 chapters 3. Other Radical Abolitionists a. Wendell Phillips—advocated a bloody end to white supremacy b. Sojourner Truth—freed black slave who advocated for both black emancipation and women’s rights c. Martin Delaney—black leader who wanted re-colonization in Africa d. Frederick Douglass—escaped slave who lectured widely and received death threats and beatings by angry mobs 1) 1854 Douglass publicly burned a copy of the Constitution 2) Douglass pressured politicians to end slavery
K. Political parties supported by abolitionists 1. 1840 Liberty Party—political party based on abolitionism, merged with the Free Soil Party in 1848 2. 1848 Free Soil Party—formed in 1848 to oppose slavery in the territory acquired in the Mexican War, most of its members joined the Republican party by 1854 3. 1850s Republican Party—organized in 1854 by anti-slavery Whigs, Democrats, and Free Soilers in response to the Kansas-Nebraska Act
L. South Lashes Back 1. 1830-1831 the issue of abolition was debated in the Virginia legislature • Reaction to these debates ended abolitionism in the South as states tightened their slave codes 2. 1831 Nat Turner’s slave revolt 3. 1832 Nullification Crisis 4. Pro-slavery Southerners claimed • They were kind to bring slaves from the jungle to Christianity • The master-slave relationship was like a family • They believed that urban industrial workers were more unhappy than slaves
5. Southerners tried to stop abolition • 1835 Mob in Charleston, South Carolina burned abolitionist propaganda at the post office • 1835 Federal government (Jackson) ordered postmasters to destroy abolitionist mail • 1836 “Gag resolution” stopped anti-slavery petitions from being debated in Congress
M. Not all northerners were abolitionists 1. Wanted to live by the existing slave clauses in the Constitution, did not see the need for abolition 2. Southerners owed $300 million to northern banks 3. Northern textile mills relied on southern cotton 4. Believed that radical abolitionists, like Garrison, were too extreme 5. Did not want abolition, but didn’t want slavery extended to new territories either
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