CHAPTER ELEVEN

THE SOUTH AND SLAVERY, 1790s–1850s

CHAPTER OVERVIEW This chapter covers the development and continued entrenchment of slave labor system in the South. As cotton became “king,” the slavery system became even more rigid and encouraged an economic and social system quite different from the rest of the country. While the slave culture was intertwined with the white plantation and yeoman culture, slaves built and maintained a supportive culture of their own. CHAPTER OBJECTIVES After reading this chapter and applying the study methods recommended, students should be able to: 1. Use the example of the Natchez community to illustrate the problems caused when slave owners tried to maintain a closed society and keep their slave system intact. 2. Explain the economic and social significance of the King Cotton economy. 3. Compare the planter and yeoman cultures, including how they were connected to slavery. 4. Outline the diversity of the American slave system and describe how the black community, both slave and free, mitigated its effects. 5. Trace the development of anti-slavery sentiment and summarize the proslavery arguments in response to it. 6. Discuss the experiences of Andrew Jackson as representative of southern experiences. 7. Making Connections: Combine material from Chapter Four with this chapter to trace the development of African American culture. CRITICAL THINKING/READING SKILLS AMERICAN COMMUNITIES: Natchez-Under-The-Hill. What type of community was NatchezUnder-The-Hill? What effects did French and Spanish possession have on it? How did Natchez and Natchez-Under-The-Hill illustrate the paradox of the American South? KING COTTON AND SOUTHERN EXPANSION: How did King Cotton tie into southern expansion? Where was cotton the king? How did this shape a regional culture distinct from the North? The Cotton Gin and Expansion into the Old Southwest: Why was the cotton gin such a significant invention and what effect did it have on the economy and society of the South? Why and where was cotton in such demand? How rapidly did cotton cultivation expand and why the need for land? What effect did this have on Indians? The Question of Slavery: How did the cotton boom increase demand for slave labor? What countries and states had laws against slave trading and slavery? Why did Southerners support banning international slave trading? How was the internal slave trade affected. 159

The Internal Slave Trade: What was the extent of the internal slave trade? What is the truth behind slave trader-master stereotypes? The Economics of Slavery: In what ways did slavery and King Cotton help and hinder the economy of the South? What effect did cotton have on cultural development? What was Senator Hammond’s boast? How did cotton affect the economy of the North? Cotton Culture: What was the cotton culture? How did many northerners react? How were Charleston and other southern cities affected? Which city was the exception? In what areas did the South lag behind the North? TO BE A SLAVE: What did it mean on a daily basis to be a slave? What were the statistics of slavery? What variety of work was there within the slave economy? What were the various observations of Fanny Kemble and of former slaves? The Maturing of the American Slave System: How did the slave system change from earlier years? What crop changes took place? What types of work did slaves do? Where was slavery increasing clustered? How was slave ownership distributed? What effect did this have on a slaves life? How was American slave society different from others in the New World? The Challenge to Survive: How did slaves meet the challenge of survival? What were the various levels of challenges? From Cradle to Grave: What were the characteristics of this lifelong labor system? How did it affect owner and slave relations? How did theory compare to reality? House Servants: Why was the task of house servant at once less demanding and yet more demanding? What effect did this have when slaves gained freedom? Artisans and Skilled Workers: What type of variety of artisans and skilled workers were there with both enslaved and free blacks? How did this compare to the North? Why did this difference exist? Field Work: What percentage of slaves did field work? What types and patterns of work were involved? THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY: What type of community did African Americans build? How did the slave system influence it? How did African American values and attitudes permeate the South? What key institutions did white masters learn to live with? Slave Families: How were slave tables structured? What were the realities and statistics of separation? African American Religion: How did elements of African religions survive and how were they reshaped into Christianity? How did African Americans shape Christianity to their community? What was the effect of the Second Great Awakening? What religious ideas were most helpful to survival? Freedom and Resistance: How many slaves escaped to freedom and where were they usually from? What other type of resistance was more common? Identify: Harriet Tubman. Slave Revolts: What were the basic events and outcomes in the Gabriel Prosser, Denmark Vesey, and Nat Turner revolts? What was particularly significant about the latter? How did various southern states and cities react? Free African Americans: Who and where were most free African Americans? Using William Johnson as an example, how free were they? 160

YEOMEN AND POOR WHITES: What groups made up yeoman and poor whites? Where were many of these groups? What types of communities did they have? Yeoman: What did the term “yeoman” mean? How was northwestern Georgia a typical example? How were these communities like and unlike Northern ones? Poor Whites: What characterized poor whites? How did slavery affect poor whites? What were the relationships between poor whites and slaves? Yeoman Values: What were the various values of yeoman? Why did Andrew Jackson appeal to them? Why did value structures become more and more rigid? PLANTERS: Who were the planters? What type of communities did they have? What was the stereotype and the reality? Small Slave Owners: Who were the small slave owners? How was John Flintoff an example? How did middle class professionals fit in? How does Jackson’s career typify the small slave owner? The Old Planter Elite: Who made up the elite? How was Thomas Chaplin an example of this group? Identify: St. Helena, Tombee. The Natchez “Nabobs:” Who were the Natchez “Nabobs?” What is the origin of “nabob?” How did Frederick Stanton and the Surgets typify this group? Plantation Life: What was plantation life like? How was this life at odds with economic reality? The Plantation Mistress: What were the role expectations of the plantation mistress? What problems were there in this role? How were the roles different from women in the North? Coercion and Violence: How did coercion and violence mark a system that insisted on a gracious image? What violations of ideology and law were there? What did Mary Boykin Chestnut comment on? THE DEFENSE OF SLAVERY: Why did pro slavery arguments become more common during this period? What do population figures tell us? Developing pro slavery arguments: Why did more pro slavery arguments develop at this point? What were the lines of argument of southern apologists? What were the effects of the Missouri Compromise and the Vesey-Turner revolts? After Nat Turner: Why were the early 1830s a turning point for the South closing ranks on defending slavery? What specific steps did they take to keep out antislavery sentiments and literature and reinforce slavery? What were the arguments of James Hammond and George Fitzhugh? Changes in the South: What changes took place in the South in terms of slavery? What type of dissent was there? What were the statistics of slave holding? What was the subject and significance of Hinton Helper’s The Impending Crisis? CONCLUSION: How rapidly had cotton production, slavery and southern states expanded? What was the position of slavery by the mid-nineteenth century in the South? What differences were there between North and South?

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KEY TERMS/VOCABULARY Identify the following terms: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17.

Fort Rosalie Natchez colonial crops short staple cotton Eli Whitney Catherine Greene Alabama fever “flush times” the Old Southwest Horseshoe Bend Trail of Tears International Slave Trade “sold down the river” “slave pens” coffles industrialization slave labor system

18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32.

manumission “big house” artisans field work slave community slave religion Black Baptist African Methodist Episcopal Church Absalom Jones Richard Allen Andrew Marshall slave revolts Gabriel Prosser Denmark Vesey Gullah Jack

33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48.

yeoman poor whites planters sea-island cotton black codes nabobs paternalistic ideology plantation mistress Mary Boykin Chesnut violence of slavery proslavery arguments abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison gag rule James Henry Hammond Hinton Helper

STUDY SKILLS ACTIVITIES 1. Cooperative Learning: Compare and contrast the Southern and Northern economies. Divide students into random groups. Have half of the groups discuss the development of the Southern economy. Have the other groups discuss the development of the Northern economy. Use the activity sheets (pp. 165–166) to keep students focused on the subject. Come together as a class and use the second activity sheet or make a transparency to guide student discussion. 2. Graphic Organizer: Use the graphic organizer (p. 167) to brainstorm and record details on various topics discussed in Chapter Eleven. The topics might include: slavery, king cotton, white plantation gentry, African Americans both slave and free, free whites and poor whites. 3. Writing Skills: Have students answer the essay prompt at the end of Chapter Eleven. Discuss the impact of slavery on each group. The teacher could use the previous GRAPHIC ORGANIZER to aid students in organizing their essays. NOTE TO TEACHERS: In this exercise the student will assume the dual roles of historian and sociologist, but warn students against the danger of straying from facts by dealing in opinion. Students must support every position taken with facts from the evidence in the chapter and the documents. They need to understand that writing this kind of essay is not a creative exercise. Keep holding them to responsibility for a viable thesis statement, substantial use of outside facts from the chapter, and use of facts from the documents. They must continue to operate at the higher levels of analysis and evaluation. 4. Slave Revolts Analysis: By using the table on p. 167, have students analyze the slave revolts mentioned in Chapter Eleven. 5. Class Discussion Evaluation: The following are three possible essay prompts. Divide the class into three groups. Assign one question to each group. Require students to brainstorm 162

and make a list of facts that are relevant to the question. Have one student write the thesis statement, then pass the paper to the next student who will write the introductory paragraph, then the next student writes the first body paragraph, and so on until the essay is written. Then have each group present their question and answer. Use the CLASS DISCUSSION EVALUATION FORM (p. 168) to assess student performance. This will aid in keeping students involved in class discussions and assist the teacher in grading. a. Why did the institution of slavery have the loyalty of the vast majority of antebellum whites, despite the fact that only a small number of them owned slaves? b. Developments in transportation rather than in manufacturing and agriculture sparked American economic growth in the first half of the nineteenth century. Evaluate the statement. c. The improvements in transportation and increased national trade should have brought Americans together, but instead it contributed to sectional divisions. Discuss the impact of improved transportation and increased trade on the Northeast, the South and the West. 6. Enrichment Activities: a. Many libraries have copies of George Rawick’s collection of the WPA interviews with former slaves (The American Slave: A Composite Autobiography) (Greenwood, 1972). Working individually or in groups, students could research such topics as: male/female roles, children’s roles, slaves’ attitudes towards masters, etc. b. At lunch, movie night, or on their own time, have students view the first episodes of Alex Haley’s Roots or Ken Burns’ The Civil War. Have students complete the Motion Picture/Video Analysis Worksheet.

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Southern Economic Development

Northern Economic Development

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COMPARE AND CONTRAST SOUTHERN AND NORTHERN ECONOMIES

SOUTHERN ECONOMY

NORTHERN ECONOMY

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GRAPHIC ORGANIZER

Topic

Slave Revolts

REVOLT

LEADER

LOCATION

Prosser Insurrection

Vesey Conspiracy

Turner Rebellion

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GOALS

CLASS DISCUSSION EVALUATION FORM

Outstanding

Above Average

• States and identifies issues • Uses foundational knowledge • Gives specific examples • Argues by analogy

• Invites contributions from others • Acknowledges the statements of others • Challenges the accuracy, logic or clarity of statements • Summarizes points of agreement and disagreements Comments:

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Average

Unsatisfactory

MAP SKILLS/CRITICAL VIEWING ACTIVITIES 1. The South Expands, 1790–1845 a. What were the original six states of the South in 1790? b. Which six were added by 1821? Which three by 1845? c. What drove this expansion? 2. Cotton Production, 1820–1860 a. What was the “black belt?” b. As cotton production increased, where did it expand? c. Which southern states produced the least amount of cotton by 1860? d. Which states produced the most? 3. Slave Population: 1820–1860 a. How did growth of cotton production affect the slave population? b. What does being sold “down the river,” mean? 4. Agriculture, Industry, and Slavery a. What percentages of slaves worked in different map areas, domestic service and industry, construction, and so on? b. Which crop generally did not connect to slavery? 5. Population Patterns in the South, 1850 a. In which states were African Americans in the majority? b. In which states were they above forty percent? c. Which states had free black populations of at least three percent? 6. Cotton Exports as a Percentage of all U.S. Exports, 1800–1860 a. How much did cotton exports grow from 1800 to 1860? b. How much did cotton exports grow from 1820–1840? 7. Slaveholding and Class Structure in the South, 1850 a. What percentage of the population owned 50 or more slaves? b. What percentage of the population were nonslaveholders? c. What is the total percentage of the population who owned slaves? 8. Photograph of Louisiana Slave. Locate in Chapter Eleven the photograph of the Louisiana slave. Then complete the INTRODUCTORY EXERCISE: PHOTOGRAPH ANALYSIS WORKSHEET (p. 171). 9. Proslavery Cartoon. Locate in Chapter Eleven the PROSLAVERY CARTOON. Use the INTRODUCTORY EXERCISE: CARTOON ANALYSIS WORKSHEET p. 172 to conduct a class discussion.

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INTRODUCTORY EXERCISE: PHOTOGRAPH ANALYSIS WORKSHEET Step 1.

Observation A. Study the photograph for 2 minutes. Form an overall impression of the photograph and then examine individual items. Next, divide the photo into quadrants and study each section to see what new details become visible. B. Use the chart below to list people, objects, and activities in the photograph. PEOPLE

OBJECTS

ACTIVITIES

Step 2.

Inference Based on what you have observed above, list three things you might infer from this photograph.

Step 3.

Questions A. What questions does this photograph raise in your mind?

B. Where could you find answers to them?

Designed and developed by the staff of the Education Branch, National Archives, Washington, DC 20408 171

INTRODUCTORY EXERCISE: CARTOON ANALYSIS WORKSHEET

Visuals

Words (not all cartoons include words)

1. List the objects or people you see in the cartoon.

1. Identify the cartoon caption and/or title.

Step One

2. Locate three words or phrases used by the cartoonist to identify objects or people within the cartoon.

Step Two

3. Record any important dates or numbers that appear in the cartoon.

2. Which of the objects on your list are symbols?

4. Which words or phrases in the cartoon appear to be the most significant? Why do you think so?

3. What do you think each symbol means?

5. List adjectives that describe the emotions portrayed in the cartoon.

A. Describe the action taking place in the cartoon.

Step Three

B. Explain how the words in the cartoon clarify the symbols.

C. Explain the message of the cartoon.

D. What special interest groups would agree: disagree with the cartoon’s message? Why?

Designed and developed by the staff of the Education Branch, National Archives, Washington, DC 20408 172

READING QUIZ MULTIPLE CHOICE: 1. Under the French and Spanish, Fort Rosalie-Natchez Under-the-Hill was a/an a. diverse inclusive community. b. missionary center to the Natchez Indians. c. agricultural center. d. center of large plantations. 2. The phrase “black belt” refers to this in the South: a. the areas of greatest slave population b. the fertile soil of Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi c. law codes that restricted free blacks d. domestic slave markets after the international ban 3. Which one of the following is NOT a state that migrating southerners rapidly pushed into from the War of 1812 to the 1830s Flush Times? a. Alabama c. Louisiana b. Texas d. Arkansas 4. Which one of the following is NOT a negative effect that King Cotton had on the economy of the South? a. most acreage was devoted to growing cotton b. slavery was more firmly entrenched c. most mercantile services were in northern hands d. industrial growth lagged behind the North 5. Southern cities did not keep pace with northern cities in urban growth after 1800 with the exception of a. Charleston. c. New Orleans. b. Mobile. d. Atlanta. 6. Of the 12 million people who lived in the South in 1860, this number were slaves: a. one million c. six million b. four million d. seven million 7. In 1850, this percentage of all slaves were engaged in cotton growing: a. 20 c. 55 b. 35 d. 75 8. Solomon Northup in his narrative, Twelve Years Slave, illustrated this slave experience: a. the charade of being a “house servant” b. solace of religion c. being secretly taught to read d. doing a variety of work, including carpentry 9. Ironically both enslaved and free black people could be in these occupations in the South while denied them in the North: a. professions like medicine and law b. skilled trades like carpentry and smithing c. farming and fishing d. domestic service 173

10. As a slave, which one of the following states would you have the LEAST chance of escaping from? a. Maryland c. Kentucky b. Virginia d. Alabama 11. Tenskwatawa was to Tecumseh as this person was to Denmark Vesey: a. Gullah Jack c. Andrew Marshall b. William Johnson d. Red Stick 12. Denmark Vesey was to South Carolina as Nat Turner was to: a. Louisiana c. Virginia b. Mississippi d. Georgia 13. While slavery and slaveowners dominated the South and its economic system, this number of Southerners did NOT own slaves: a. one-half c. three-quarters b. two-thirds d. four-fifths 14. A poor white in the south referred to families that a. were landless tenant farmers. b. owned no slaves. c. worked for plantation owners. d. had occupations other than agriculture. 15. Which one of the following was NOT true of southern “plain folk?” a. self-sufficient property owners b. lived in small family based communities c. usually lived up-country d. favored industrialization over slavery 16. Natchez county had the highest concentration of this in the nation: a. slaves c. cotton plantations b. wealth d. free African Americans 17. The Missouri Crisis of 1819–1820 alarmed many southerners because they were a. finding evidence of slaves planning revolts. b. losing many slaves escaping to the north. c. shocked by widespread antislavery feeling in the north. d. still reeling from the laws ending international slave trade. 18. Which one of the following is NOT one of the reasons the South closed ranks on defending slavery in the 1830s? a. Garrison began publishing an antislavery newspaper b. West Indian slaves were freed by the British c. U.S. extended participation in the international slave trade d. Nat Turner’s revolt 19. Which one of the following would have been the LEAST likely to present a proslavervy argument? a. Hinton Helper c. George Fitzhugh b. James Hammond d. Andrew Jackson

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20. Which one of the following lists these events in the correct chronological order? (1) Nullification Crisis (3) Great Migration to Old Southwest (2) Black Baptist Churches founded (4) Cotton Gin invented a. 2,4,3,1 b. 2,3,4,1

c. 3,2,1,4 d. 4,1,3,2

21. Which one of the following was NOT an event occurring after the Missouri Crisis that alarmed southern slave owners? a. Vesey’s Conspiracy c. Prosser’s revolt b. Turner’s revolt d. Garrison’s newspaper 22. Which one of the following was NOT one of the six southern states added by 1812 because of expansion of cotton production? a. Florida c. Alabama b. Mississippi d. Missouri 23. The “black belt” of the south refers to those parts of western Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi that a. had the highest concentration of slaves. b. had unusually fertile soils. c. was the poorest most depressed area. d. suffered the most from malaria epidemics. 24. This state had a large number of slaves but NOT due to cotton production: a. Alabama c. Texas b. Florida d. Virginia 25. Louisiana, Virginia and North Carolina had this in common in terms of population patterns: a. Slaves outnumbered whites. b. Free blacks made up 3 percent or more. c. The total African-American population was less than 20 percent. d. No free blacks were allowed. SHORT ESSAY: 26. 27. 28. 29.

What was the internal slave trade? What role did religion play in the black community? Who were the yeomen? Describe life on the plantation.

EXTENDED ESSAY: 30. Describe the effects Whitney’s cotton gin had upon the southern economy. 31. How did cotton expand the international nature of the U.S. economy? 32. What arguments were advanced to justify slavery? Evaluate these arguments.

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