History Essay Exam 2 Ch 11

Compare slaves in the Old South with those elsewhere in the world, focusing on health, diet and opportunities for freedom.

- In the nineteenth century, American slaves enjoyed better diets, lower rates of infant mortality and longer life expectancies than the slaves in the West Indies and Brazil. The health of the slaves in America was better than in the Caribbean because of its geographical setting where the American slaves lived were less delicate to tropical diseases. Also the owner in the Old South started to take care of their slaves because they were not able anymore to get new slaves from Africa and slaves started to become really expensive. Nevertheless, the laws were tighter and stricter in the Old South compare to other countries and it got even worse over the years. Even when the slaves enjoyed better health and diet than in other countries, nonetheless, they experiences less freedom than other slaves from other places.

Identify the different types of resistance to slavery. Which ones were the most common, the most effective, and the most demonstrative?

- One of the types of resistance to slavery, which was one of the most common, was called "day-to-day resistance" or "silent sabotage" which the book says was things like, "doing poor work, breaking tools, abusing animals, and in other ways disrupting plantation routine" (443). "Then there was the theft of food, a form of resistance so common that one southern physician diagnosed it as a hereditary disease unique to blacks" (443). They also, less frequently committed larger crimes.

While some poor southern whites resented the dominance of the "slaveocracy" most supported the institution and accepted the power of the planter class. Why did the "plain folk" continue to support slavery?

- Some poor whites hated the power of the great planters and against the "slaveocracy", but most poor whites made a connection with the economic and social power of the planters. In the face of outside criticism, regional loyalty served to cement bonds between planters and the South's "plain folk." Moreover, some small farmers in the plantation region were responsible to lookout the runaway slaves and those on the roads without permission. Sometimes the "plain folk" rented slaves from planters and regularly elected slaveowners to public offices in the South. Most small farmers believed that their economic and personal freedom were rely on slavery. Thus, the "plain folk" supported slavery.

How did slavery shape social and economic relations in the Old South?

- The Mason Dixon Line became the dividing line between slavery and freedom - Slaves equal 1/3 of population and in souther states it equals 1/2 - in 1860, the economic investment represented by the slave population exceeded the value of the nation's factories, railroads, and banks combined - cotton sales earned the money for the US to pay for imported manufactured goods - cotton helped finance industrial developments and internal improvements - slavery limited the growth of industry, discouraged immigrants and inhibited progress in the south

How did the planters' paternalism serve to justify the system of slavery? how did it hide the reality of life for slaves?

- The planters' paternalism had been a feature of American slavery even in the eighteenth century, and it became deeper part after 1808. It made the relationship of masters and slaves closer, and gave owners an economic interest in the survival of their human property. Moreover, the paternalist outlook hided the brutal reality of slavery. It let slaveowners think of themselves as kind masters even though they bought and sold their human property. Some slaveowners tried to change the system of slavery to abolish its oppressive part, but they couldn't end slavery.

How did enslaved people create community and a culture that allowed them to survive in an oppressive society?

- The slaves had several forms of community and culture they created to live in the repressing society back in the nineteenth century. First of all the family was the major part of the their community, the most adult slaves were married usually for a lifetime, when not disrupted by sale. The culture they created was influence by the African heritage, like the music, the dances, or even their religion. Even when the slaves came to their new country they still didn't forget about their home countries and brought all the culture with them and created a new one which was still familiar to the one which they had known from home. Factors like the family and the familiar culture helped them to survive in America which slaved several nations to improve their economy and society.

How did distinct slave cultures emerge in the Old South?

- music - own language - religion - modern music is now combined from that of white and African American cultures - they developed a semi-independent culture, centered on family and religion - slave culture was a new creation, shaped by African tradition and American values and experiences

What were the major forms of resistance to slavery?

- slaves could only rarely express their desire for freedom by outright rebellion because they were always confronted by government authorities who were committed to preserving slavery and they were outnumbered by the white population - Resistance to slavery took many forms including individual acts: - doing poor work - breaking tools - abusing animals - disturbing the routine of the plantation - running away - or by having a group uprising / rebellions

What were the material and legal conditions in which slaves lived and worked?

- slaves had the rights of protections, counsel, guidance, subsistence, care and attention in sickness and old age from their master (paternalism) - for slaves, life was full of incessant toil, brutal punishment and the constant fear that their families would be destroyed by sale - before laws, slaves were property - They had few rights: - illegal to kill slaves unless in self defense - slaves accused of serious crimes could have a trial in court with a WHITE jury - rights not really enforced - slaves could be sold - no representation in government - they could not: - testify in court against a white person - sign contracts of own property - own firearms - hold meetings without a white person present - leave plantations/farms without permission from farmer - as the 19th century progressed, some southern states enacted laws to prevent the mistreatment of slaves and improve living conditions - they had to supplement the food given to them with chickens and vegetables they raised themselves, animals hunted in the forest and items stolen from plantation's smokehouse - with the price of slaves increasing (due to the close of international slave trade) it made economic sense for the owners to care for the health and living conditions of their human property - American slaves had better diets and longer life expectancy than slaves in the parts of the world

Given that most northern states had abolished slavery by the 1830s, how is it useful to think of slavery as a national-rather than regional-economic and political system?

-It is useful to think of slavery as a national-rather than regional-economic and political system is because there was so many slaves that it affect the economy at a national level. Even though the north abolished slavery the business men and factories from the north still made profits from slavery. The production of cotton used a lot of slave labor. Seventy-five percent of the world's cotton came from America with the use of slave labor. The banks and insurance companies also financed and insured the plantations involving slavery. Slavery had an influence on the whole nation not just the southern states.

Identify the basic elements of the proslavery defense and those points aimed especially at non-southern audiences.

-The basic elements of the proslavery defense was that white people were better than black people. There was an argument that there should be an upper class and a lower class. Some argued that it was good for society to have slavery that without slavery human can not progress. Some southerners argued that for equality to exist among whites there need to be slaves to do the jobs of unskilled labor. Without slavery the whites would not be free. Some pro-slavery arguments came from the bible that servants should obey their master

Abolition in the Americas

Abolition in the Americas influenced debates over slavery in the United States. Proslavery advocates used post-emancipation decline in sugar and in other cash crops as evidence of British abolitionism's failure. Abolitionists argued that the former slaves' rising living standards (and similar improvements) showed that emancipation had succeeded. By mid-century, New World slavery remained only in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Brazil, and the United States

The Second Middle Passage

Although the African slave trade was prohibited, the sale and trade of slaves within the United States flourished. The main business districts of southern cities contained the offices of slave traders, and auctions took place at public slave markets.

Conditions of Slave Life

American slaves as compared to their counterparts in the West Indies and in Brazil enjoyed better diets, lower infant mortality, and longer life expectancies. Reasons for the above include the paternalistic ethos of the South, the lack of malaria and yellow fever in the South, and the high costs of slaves.

The Threat of Sale

Slave traders paid little attention to preserving family ties.

Slave Religion

Black Christianity was distinctive and offered solace to the slaves. Almost every plantation had its own black preacher. Slaves worshipped in biracial churches. Free blacks established their own churches. Masters viewed Christianity as another means of social control and required slaves to attend services conducted by white ministers. Many biblical stories offered hope and solace to slaves.

Free Blacks in the Old South

By 1860, there were nearly half a million free blacks in the United States and most of them lived in the South. Free blacks were not all that free. Free blacks were allowed by law to own property and marry and could not be bought or sold. Free blacks could not testify in court or serve on a jury. The majority of free blacks who lived in the Lower South resided in cities like New Orleans and Charleston, whereas those living in the Upper South generally lived in rural areas, working for wages as farm laborers.

The Proslavery Argument

By the 1830s, fewer southerners believed that slavery was a necessary evil. The proslavery argument rested on a number of pillars, including a commitment to white supremacy, biblical sanction of slavery, and the historical precedent that slavery was essential to human progress. Another proslavery argument held that slavery guaranteed equality for whites.

Cotton Is King

Cotton replaced sugar as the world's major crop produced by slave labor in the nineteenth century. Cotton industry Three-fourths of the world's cotton supply came from the southern United States. Cotton supplied textile mills in the North and in Great Britain. As early as 1803, cotton represented America's most important export.

The Slave Family

Despite the threat of sale and the fact that marriage between slaves was illegal, many slaves did marry and create families. Slaves frequently named children after other family members to retain family continuity. The slave community had a significantly higher number of female-headed households as compared to the white community.

Nat Turner's Rebellion

In 1831, Nat Turner and his followers marched through Virginia, attacking white farm families. Eighty slaves had joined Turner and sixty whites had been killed (mostly women and children) before the militia put down the rebellion. Turner was captured and executed. Turner's was the last large-scale rebellion in the South. The Virginia legislature debated plans for gradual emancipation of the state's slaves, but voted not to take that step. Instead, Virginia tightened its grip on slavery through new laws further limiting slaves' rights. 1831 marked a turning point for the Old South as white southerners closed ranks and defended slavery more strongly than ever.

The Amistad

In 1839, a group of slaves collectively seized their freedom while on board the Amistad. The U.S. Supreme Court accepted John Quincy Adams's argument that the slaves had been illegally seized in Africa and should be freed.

The Planter Class

In 1850, the majority of slaveholding families owned five or fewer slaves. Fewer than 2,000 families owned 100 slaves or more. Ownership of slaves provided the route to wealth, status, and influence. Slavery was a profit-making system. Men watched the world market for cotton, invested in infrastructure, and managed their plantations. Plantation mistresses cared for sick slaves, oversaw the domestic servants, and supervised the plantation when the master was away. Southern slave owners spent much of their money on material goods.

Slave Labor

Labor occupied most of a slave's daily existence. There were many types of jobs a slave might perform. Many slaves working in the fields also labored in large gangs. On large plantations, they worked in gangs under the direction of the overseer, a man who was generally considered cruel by the slaves.

Slavery in the Cities

Most city slaves were servants, cooks, and other domestics. Some city slaves were skilled artisans and occasionally lived on their own.

The Paternalist Ethos

Southern slaveowners were committed to a hierarchical, agrarian society. Paternalism was ingrained in slave society and enabled slaveowners to think of themselves as kind, responsible masters even as they bought and sold their human property.

The Desire for Liberty

Slave culture rested on a sense of the injustice of bondage and the desire for freedom. Slave folklore glorified the weak over the strong, and their spirituals emphasized eventual liberation.

Slaves and the Law

Slaves were considered property and had few legal rights. Slaves were not allowed to: Testify against a white person Carry a firearm Leave the plantation without permission Learn how to read or write Gather in a group without a white person present Although, some of these laws were not always vigorously enforced. Masters also controlled whether slaves married and how they spent their free time. Trial of Celia: Celia killed her master while resisting a sexual assault. Celia was charged with murder and sentenced to die, but she was pregnant and her execution was delayed until she gave birth, so as not to deny the current master his property right.

The Southern Economy

Southern economic growth was different from northern. There were few large cities in the South. The cities were mainly centers for gathering and shipping cotton. New Orleans was the only city of significant size in the South. The region produced less than 10 percent of the nation's manufactured goods.

Slavery and the Nation

The North was not immune to slavery. Slavery shaped the lives of all Americans. Northern merchants and manufacturers participated in the slave economy and shared in its profits.

Describe the difference between gang labor and task labor for slaves, and explain how slaves' tasks varied by region across the Old South.

The gang labor and task labor were different on the crop and the size of the holding, and slaves' tasks varied in the different regions of the South. First, the gang labor existed on large plantations in the Cotton Belt and in the sugar fields of the southern Louisiana. The gang slaves were under the direction of the overseer. And, the task labor existed on the rich plantations of South Carolina and Georgia. The task slaves were assigned verily tasks for day. Also, slaves had different tasks because of different regions. Some task slaves worked in the poor fields, they needed to work as field hands; most city slaves were servants and cook laborers; and many urban slaves even lived on their own.

Forms of Resistance

The most common form of resistance was silent sabotage-the breaking of tools, feigning illness, doing poor work. Less common but more serious forms of resistance included poisoning the master, arson, and armed assaults. The slaves who ran away were more threatening to the stability of the slave system. Of the estimated 1,000 slaves a year to escape, most escaped from the Upper South. In the Deep South, fugitive slaves often escaped to the southern cities, to blend in with the free black population. The Underground Railroad was a loose organization of abolitionists who helped slaves to escape. Harriet Tubman was an escaped slave who made twenty trips to Maryland, leading slaves to freedom.

Gender Roles among Slaves

Traditional gender roles were not followed in the fields; but during their own time, slaves did fall into traditional gender roles.

Maintaining Order

The system of maintaining order rested on force. There were many tools a master had to maintain order, including whipping, exploiting divisions among slaves, incentives, and the threat of sale

Slave Revolts

The year 1811 witnessed an uprising on sugar plantations in Louisiana, which saw slaves marching toward New Orleans before the militia captured them. In 1822, Denmark Vesey was charged with conspiracy in South Carolina. Vesey was a religious man who believed the Bible condemned slavery and who saw the hypocrisy of the Declaration of Independence. The conspiracy was uncovered before Vesey could act.

Plain Folk of the Old South

Three-fourths of white southerners did not own slaves. Most white southerners lived on self-sufficient farms. Most whites supported slavery. A few, like Andrew Johnson and Joseph Brown, spoke out against the "slaveocracy." Most white southerners supported the planter elite and slavery because of shared bonds of regional loyalty, racism, and kinship ties.

Slavery and Liberty

White southerners declared themselves the true heirs of the American Revolution. Proslavery arguments begin to repudiate the ideas in the Declaration of Independence that equality and freedom were universal entitlements. John C. Calhoun believed that the language in the Declaration of Independence was dangerous. George Fitzhugh, a Virginia writer, argued that "universal liberty" was the exception, not the rule. By 1830, southerners defended slavery in terms of liberty and freedom; without slavery, freedom was not possible.