Chapter 11

Slavery and the Old South

The American People, 6th ed.

• Building a Diverse Cotton Kingdom

The Expansion of Slavery in a Global Economy
 In 1860 the American South, if independent, would have been one of the
wealthiest countries in the world based on the revenue of the cotton trade.
 Cotton cultivation and its expansion depended on technological development,
land, labor, demand, and a global system of trade.

Slavery in Latin America

 Europeans depended on African slavery in their New World colonies.
 African slaves were imported to replace the indigenous populations that were
eradicated by disease.
 Sugar production was the cash crop for the Latin American holdings of the
European powers.
White and Black Migrations in the South
 Between 1830 and 1860, southerners began to migrate in a southwest direction to
fill up the fertile land and increase cotton production for the mills of England.
 The center of cotton production gradually shifted from South Carolina to
Mississippi.
 An estimated 1 million slaves were transported westward by this white migration.

Paternalism and Honor in the Planter Class

 Most Southern males adhered to a long-standing tradition of medieval chivalry
and aversion to industrialization.
 The Southern planters developed a paternalistic attitude towards his slaves; a
kindly father-and-child relationship.
 An intensely masculine code of honor placed the virtue of women on a pedestal.
 The smallest insult could lead to pistol duels.

Yeoman Farmers
 Most slaveholders (70 percent) belonged to the mid-level yeoman farmer class.
 A Yeoman farmer might have owned as many as ten slaves, but usually work
alongside them.
 75 percent of all southerners held no slaves at all.
Justifying Slavery
 Biblical Justification: ancient curse upon Ham, a child of Noah and other
references
 Historical Justification: all great civilizations participated in slavery
 Legal Justification: the U.S. Constitution refused to address slavery directly
 Scientific Justification: multiple theories regarding inferiority of the black race
 Sociological Justification: the black race as societal “children” that needed
paternalistic guidance
Daily Toil
 Slaves were expected to work an average of 14 hours per day during warm
weather and 10 hours in the winter.
 Work gangs of 20 to 25 slaves labored under the whip of a “slave driver.”
 The task system allowed slaves to finish a designated task each day at their own
pace.
 A normal slave was expected to pick 130 to 150 pounds of cotton a day.

Slave Law and the Family

 The legal status of slaves in the South was never fully resolved, leading to a wide
range of laws governing the treatment of African Americans.
 Marriages between slaves were often arranged for optimal genetic reproduction.
 Slave families were often separated.
Black Christianity
 Christian worship was an integral part of life in the slave quarters.
 Black Christianity often included aspects of Islamic and African religions.
 Black religious gatherings were usually forbidden unless a white overseer was
present.
 For the white planters, religion became a type of social control.
The Enduring Family
 Family relationships were central to the lives of most slaves.
 Slaves could draw love, protection, support, knowledge, and cultural identity from
these extended families.
 Slaves often performed extra work to provide extra food and clothing for their
families.
Forms of Black Protest
 Daily acts of resistance might include breaking of tools, burning houses or crops,
stealing food, self mutilation or simple work slowdowns.
 Females might fake sickness or menstrual cramps.
 The ultimate forms were murder or running away.