SLAVES AND MASTERS The South as American Counterpoint Shrouded in Myth: “Gone with the Wind” versus “Simon Legree” Distinctive Features: heat, humidity, staple crop.
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SLAVES AND MASTERS The South as American Counterpoint Shrouded in Myth: “Gone with the Wind” versus “Simon Legree” Distinctive Features: heat, humidity, staple crop agriculture, native born populations, race Colonial Economics The Divided Society of the Old South Wealth divides white Southerners by class White society also divided by region Black society also divided with about 6% free Race divides all Southerners by caste Slavery the Peculiar Institution Slavery the System The Slave Experience Resistance The Growth of Slavery Cotton gin makes cotton production profitable. New territory is being opened for slavery. Slavery is fundamental to the growth of cotton. Owning slaves seen as way to economic prosperity. Eli Whitney and Slavery Inventor of the cotton gin It will make cotton production efficiently and cost effective which will drive the demand for slaves Whitney will also introduce a rifle with interchangeable parts which will aid in producing weapons quickly for the American Civil War Anglo Justifications for Slavery Racial Religious Bible scripture provides examples of slavery Scientific Blacks are seen as “brutes” and should be controlled Blacks are inferior to whites Paternalism Blacks are being taken care of Slave Concentration, 1820 Slave Concentration by 1860 Distribution of Slave Labor, 1850 55% Cotton Domestic Work Rice or Sugar Tobacco 10% Mining, Industry, or Construction 10% 15% 10% Slaves’ Daily Life and Labor 90% of slaves lived on plantations or farms Most slaves on cotton plantations worked sunup to sundown, 6 days/week About 75% of slaves were field workers, about 5% worked in industry Urban slaves had more autonomy than rural slaves Conditions of Slavery Lived in crude quarters that left them exposed to bad weather and disease. Diets consisted of cornmeal and salt pork. The weather conditions of the South made health problems like yellow fever, dysentery, and malaria common. Slave codes reinforced the concept that slaves were property and prevented slaves from having any rights. The Plantation System Plantations were diverse economically and self sufficient. Slaves were organized into specialized gangs that performed specific duties. Productivity was tied to maintaining discipline. Field Slaves Majority were field slaves and worked dawn to dusk. Some worked under the task system which required slaves to complete a specific job once done they were free to manage own affairs. Did skilled work like carpentry and ironsmithing and unskilled work like tending the crops. The women also had to care of their families by cooking, tending house and taking care of the children too! Masters hired out slaves to perform other duties and keep the slave’s wages. House Slaves Household slaves cooked, cleaned, and nursed the master's children. Are constantly watched by their masters and mistresses. Had far less privacy than those who worked the fields. House slaves faced beatings, verbal abuse and sexual assault. Slave Quarters The Big House Slave Families, Kinship, and Community Normal family life difficult for slaves fathers cannot always protect children families vulnerable to breakup by masters Most reared in strong, two-parent families Extended families provide nurture, support amid horror of slavery Slave culture a family culture that provided a sense of community African American Religion Black Christianity the cornerstone of an emerging African American culture Whites fear religion’s subversive potential, try to supervise churches and preaching Slave religion kept secret from whites reaffirmed the inherent joy of life preaches the inevitable day of liberation Slave Resistance Slaves worked slowly, broke tools, faked illness and destroyed crops. Many stole livestock, food, or valuables, burned buildings or killed their masters. They pursued education! Learning to read is a powerful tool! Resistance and Rebellion Run away often aided by the Underground Railroad Stories, songs asserting equality Slave Punishment Slaves were punished for not working fast, being late, talking back, running away, and other reasons. Slave punishment included whippings, torture, mutilation, imprisonment, the threat of abusing a loved one and being sold away. Resistance and Rebellion 1800--Gabriel Prosser 1822--Denmark Vesey 1831--Nat Turner Slave Rebellions and Uprisings, 1800-1831 Gabriel Prosser’s Rebellion Gabriel Prosser plans the first major slave rebellion. Gabriel wanted to create an independent black state in Virginia on August 30, 1800. Gabriel and 26 of his companions are hanged. Denmark Vesey’s Rebellion Minister who plans rebellion with over 1,000 members. Informant betrays revolt. Most faced deportations and hangings. South is paranoid about slave revolts and Slave Laws. Nat Turner’s Rebellion Nat Turner claimed to have visions and was ordered by God to rebel. In August 1831, led a revolt in which 57 men, women and children are hacked to death. The rebellion causes the South to pass strict Slave Codes. Free Blacks in the Old South Southern free blacks severely restricted Repression increased as time passed Sense of solidarity with slaves Generally unable to help Had to register with the state & carry “freedom” papers Were excluded from certain jobs Subjected to re-enslavement & fraudulent “recapture” By 1860 some state legislatures were proposing laws to force free blacks to emigrate or be enslaved White Society in the Antebellum South Only a small percentage of slave owners lived in aristocratic mansions less than 1% of the white population owned 50 or more slaves Most Southern whites were yeomen farmers The Planters' World Big planters set tone, values of Southern life Planter wealth based on commerce land speculation slave-trading cotton planting Plantations managed as businesses Romantic ideals imitated only by richest The Value of Cotton Exports as a Percentage of All U.S. Exports Planters and Paternalism Planters pride themselves on paternalism Better living standard for Southern slaves than others in Western Hemisphere Relatively decent treatment due in part to their increasing economic value after 1808 Planters actually deal little with slaves Slaves managed by overseers Violent coercion accepted by all planters Small Slaveholders Slave conditions worst with fewer than 20 slaves share the master's poverty slaves at the complete mercy of the master Masters often worked alongside the slaves Most slaves would have preferred the economic and cultural stability of the plantation Yeoman Farmers Small farmers resent large planters Some aspire to planter status Many saw slavery as guaranteeing their own liberty and independence Slavery viewed as a system for keeping blacks "in their place" A Closed Mind and a Closed Society Planters fear growth of abolitionism Planters encourage closing of ranks Slavery defended as a positive good Africans depicted as inferior slavery defended with Bible slavery a humane asylum to improve Africans Slavery superior to Northern wage labor Contrary points of view suppressed Slavery and the Southern Economy White Southerners perceived their economic interests to be tied to slavery Lower South: slave plantation society Upper South: farming and slavetrading region The Internal Slave Trade Mixed farming in Virginia and Maryland Need less labor, more capital Upper South sells slaves to lower South Virginia, Maryland, and Kentucky take on characteristics of industrializing North Sectional loyalty of upper South uncertain Slave Concentration, 1820 The Rise of the Cotton Kingdom "Short-staple" cotton drives cotton boom Cotton gin makes seed extraction easy Year-round requirements suited to slave labor Cotton in Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, east Texas Large planters dominate cotton production 1850--South produces 75% of world's cotton, cotton the most important U.S. business Slave Concentration, 1860 Slavery and Industrialization Southerners resent dependence on Northern industry, commerce Southerners project industrial schemes some propose using free white labor others propose the use of slaves Slaves work in southern factories High cotton profits discourage shift to industry The "Profitability" Issue Slavery not profitable for South as a whole White small farmers have lower living standards than most Northern farmers Profits from cotton not welldistributed Slave system results in waste of human resources, Southern underdevelopment Defending Slavery Southern planters feared revolts & the growth of abolitionism & used a new defense slavery: It was sanctioned in the Bible Constitution did not prohibit it Slavery was a “natural” way of life for “inferior” Africans Slavery was more humane than Northern industrial exploitation Defending Slavery Proslavery Southerners protected South against anti-slavery ideas: Feared abolitionist propaganda would inspire slave rebellions or inspire the yeoman to support abolition Increased restrictions on blacks by making it illegal to teach slaves to read & write Banned church services & meetings without supervision Conclusions The post-1793 cotton boom transformed the American economy & Southern society: Cotton facilitated westward expansion & the entrenchment of African slavery in the South In the 1830s, the South became increasingly defensive about perceived Northern attempts to end slavery Worlds in Conflict Separate Southern worlds planters slaves less affluent whites free blacks Held together by plantation economy, web of customary relationships