Chapter 11:Slavery & the Old South, 1800-1860 :Chapter 11:Slavery & the Old South, 1800-1860


Regional Identities :Regional Identities North More urban / industrial Large banks Market oriented economy Better educated Improving transportation High regard for work Connected to world community South More rural / agricultural Few banks Colonial debtor economy Little education Poor transportation Work reserved for slaves Isolated from world community


Southern Society :Southern Society Strictly divided by skin color Institution of slavery dominated white society Determined wealth, status, and power All facets of life for whites and blacks revolved around whites maintaining control over all blacks (even free people) and blacks being submissive to all whites Economy, politics, labor all dependent on slavery In Southern agricultural economy, cotton was “king”


National Racism :National Racism Virtually all whites – north and south - believed in racial inferiority based on skin color Scientific view: Dark skin indicated savagery, wildness, limited mental capacity Religious view: God chose white race to lead the world Whites must rule beneficially for dark-skinned (control for their own good) “Equality” for blacks only meant vote & citizenship - not social & economic equality


Demographics :Demographics Total Southern population (1860) 12,302,000 Total whites 8,098,000 Total blacks 3,954,000 slave 250,000 free


Slave Ownership :Slave Ownership Elite Planter Class (over 20 slaves) 4% (12-13,000 families) of white population 12% of slave owners in Planter class owned 50 – 100 slaves Dominated Southern politics, economy Top 1% of planter class owned 27% of wealth 50% of white slave owners held less than 5 slaves 3/4 of white Southerners did not own slaves Slaveholders averaged 14X wealth of non-slaveholders 1850: ~ 3 million Southern slaves; 1860: ~ 4 million Southern slaves


Slide 7:75% 25% Slaveholding, 1860 Non-slaveholders ------------- 76.1% 1 – 9 slaves --------------------- 17.2% 10 – 99 slaves ------------------ 6.6% Over 100 slaves ---------------- .1%


Slide 8:Distribution of Slaves Number of slaves held 0 1-6 7-39 40+ Percentage of white families 75 15 9 1 Percentage of slaves held 0 16 53 31


The Southern Plantation :The Myth (this is where 1/10th of 1% of slave owners lived) The Reality (this is where most slave owners lived – what do you think their “slave quarters” looked like??) The Southern Plantation


Slide 10:Lower (Deep) South Upper South Border States Border States Southern Geography


“Cotton is King”: The increasing importance of slavery in the South 1820 – 1860 :“Cotton is King”: The increasing importance of slavery in the South 1820 – 1860


Cotton production 1821 :Cotton production 1821 Each dot represents 1000 bales


Cotton production 1859 :Cotton production 1859 Percentage increase in population 1821-1859 Under 200% 200% to 499% 500% to 1000% Over 1000% Each dot represents 1000 bales


Obsessed with Cotton :Obsessed with Cotton Cotton was 57% of all United States exports South refused to diversify its economy Most wealth contained in slaves & land Cotton depleted soil in 4-5 years; dependent on westward expansion England bought 75% of its cotton from Southern states 20% of English jobs depended on US cotton Only 15% of US factories and 35% of our railroads were in south


Lower (Deep) South :Lower (Deep) South Cotton agriculture dominated economy 70% - 90% of slaves in cotton agriculture No need to diversify ag or economy Cotton was everyone’s cash crop Deep South


Upper South :Upper South Proportionately fewer slaves & slaveholders More slave traders More independent farmers / small industrialists, businessmen Ag more diverse – corn, wheat, oats More commerce with north Upper South


Personal property :Personal property Slaves were “chattel” (objects or things) Used as collateral for loans Inventories that were plantation’s property records are valuable sources for historians today Value increased with Maturity Skills Market demand Cotton expansion (It gets worse – see next 2 slides.)


Breeding Programs: Slave Owners Growing Their Wealth :Breeding Programs: Slave Owners Growing Their Wealth The death-rate among slaves was high. To replace their losses, plantation owners encouraged their slaves to have children. Child-bearing started around the age of thirteen, and by twenty the women slaves would be expected to have four or five children. To encourage child-bearing some population owners promised women slaves their freedom after they had produced fifteen children. Young women were often advertised for sale as "good breeding stock". One slave trader from Virginia boasted that his successful breeding policies enabled him to sell 6,000 slave children a year. Some slave owners impregnated their own slaves (rape) as an alternative method of increasing their wealth. Since the child’s status was derived from the mother, not the father, a slave woman’s children were always born slaves for life, no matter who their father was.


Charles Ball was married and living in Maryland when he was sold to a master in South Carolina. :Charles Ball was married and living in Maryland when he was sold to a master in South Carolina. “About sunrise we took up our march on the road to Columbia, as we were told. Hitherto our master had not offered to sell any of us, and had even refused to stop to talk to any one on the subject of our sale, although he had several times been addressed on this point, before we reached Lancaster; but soon after we departed from this village, we were overtaken on the road by a man on horseback, who accosted our driver by asking him if his niggars were for sale. The latter replied, that he believed he would not sell any yet, as he was on his way to Georgia, and cotton being now much in demand, he expected to obtain high prices for us from persons who were going to settle in the new purchase. He, however, contrary to his custom, ordered us to stop, and told the stranger he might look at us, and that he would find us as fine a lot of hands as were ever imported into the country - that we were all prime property, and he had no doubt would command his own prices in Georgia.“The stranger, who was a thin, weather-beaten, sunburned figure, then said, he wanted a couple of breeding wenches, and would give as much for them as they would bring in Georgia. He then walked along our line, as we stood chained together, and looked at the whole of us - then turning to the women; asked the prices of the two pregnant ones. Our master replied, that these were two of the best breeding-wenches in all Maryland - that one was twenty-two, and the other only nineteen - that the first was already the mother of seven children, and the other of four - that he had himself seen the children at the time he bought their mothers - and that such wenches would be cheap at a thousand dollars each; but as they were not able to keep up with the gang, he would take twelve hundred dollars for the two.”


Diversity of Slave Life :Diversity of Slave Life


Urban Slave Quarters, Charleston, SC :Urban Slave Quarters, Charleston, SC Some slaves were “rented” to businesses and industry by plantation owners. The slave did the work – often skilled such as working in a factory or blacksmith shop – and his owner was paid for his work. While away from their home plantation, they may have lived in quarters such as this one in Charleston, usually with an overseer who made sure each slave came back when the workday was done. Although still enslaves, city slaves often had a small degree of freedom that plantation slaves did not have.


Louisiana plantation slave quarters(reconstructed) :Louisiana plantation slave quarters(reconstructed) Slaves were fortunate if they had a place as nice as these cabins to live in. (The porch was a distinctive bit of African architecture brought by slaves to the New World and soon copied by whites.)


Slide 23:Slave re-enactors performing a variety of tasks typical of the era.


Normal Care of slaves :Normal Care of slaves 1-2 sets of clothing – new set each year 1 blanket Cooking pot Corn & pork basic diet Some slaves could hunt, have gardens Usually supplied just enough food to live (remember they were investment property) Some religious activity Slave church services supervised by whites White ministers used Bible to justify slavery and control of black population


Passive Resistance :Passive Resistance Subtle, not open, defiance. A way to show disdain and disgust for their situation, but avoid punishment Improved self-esteem, gave small measure of control Methods: Work slowly Play dumb, stupid, or ignorant Break tools, implements Behind-the-scenes sabotage Fein submission and ingratiating manner Play sick or injured


Active Resistance & Rebellion :Active Resistance & Rebellion Resulted in severe punishment, possibly death Methods: Running away Refuse to obey or submit Open defiance Infanticide Suicide Murder of master / master’s family (very rare)


Underground Railroad :Underground Railroad Unorganized society of whites who helped slaves escape – North (to Canada after 1850) Most active along Ohio River & Pennsylvania Fugitive Slave Clause in Constitution Required return of slaves to owners Slaves had no legal defense Anonymous “conductors” on “railroad” hid runaways, gave food, directions Fugitives passed from one safe house to another


Slide 29:Underground Railroad Before 1850, most runaways went to Northern states. After 1850, most to Canada because of Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 (Chapter 14).


“Free” Blacks :“Free” Blacks North – about 250,000 in 1860 All dark-skinned people viewed as inferior Very little political participation Laws restricted employment, housing, education South – about 250,000 in 1860 Largest populations in Charleston & New Orleans Majority were mulatto – part white Some had never been slaves Some owned slaves themselves, especially mulattos Strict Control – not much freedom Laws restricted lifestyle in North & South


Slave Codes / Black Codes :Slave Codes / Black Codes Regulated activity, movement, social interaction North – black codes regulated: Gun ownership, buying liquor, curfew, congregating, court participation, voting, work Legal rights varied by local law South – slave codes maintained control of slave population, gave whites all authority Slave had no recourse, could not sue or complain, completely under control of owner and/or society All blacks required to be submissive to all whites