APUSH Chapter 11

"King Cotton"

A decline is other crops such as tobacco, rice, sugar, and long-staple cotton due to agricultural difficulties lead to a need for a new source (crop) of commerce. Short-stapled cotton satisfied this because it could grow in variety of climates and soils. It was also more popular because of the increasing importance of the northern textile industry and the fact that the cotton gin made it easier to get seeds out. This crop spread throughout south, bringing $200 million a year to the US compared to $2 million brought by rice, and therefor it came to be known as "king cotton". mid 1800s (1860s)

De Bow's Review

A magazine by southerner James B. D. Debow which advocate southern agricultural and commercial expansion (because he noticed the primitiveness of the south) and said that they should be more self-reliant (not rely on north as much to be like a colony of the north).

Colonial Dependency

Because of the deep south's primitiveness, they were very reliant on the north. This was because of the great profitability of region's agricultural system. They didn't think they need anything else. Furthermore, it was because of they had no expendable income. They invested everything into agriculture.

House slaves and field slaves

In large plantations, the two kinds of slaves were mostly separate. House servant usually had it easier because they developed relationships with whites and they could eat left overs, but house servants had a lot less privacy. Female house servants were vulnerable to sexual abuse and wives would punish them because they were jealous.

Domestic slave trade

In this form of slave trade, slaves were transported to markets where they were sold. They were made to look younger and healthier so that they could be sold for more. Sexually desirable women would be expensive. The trade dehumanized the slaves and often separated families.

urban slavery

Life of slaves in the cities were much different than those on plantations, as the line between slavery and freedom became indistinct. Slavery was declining as urban cities grew because southerners generally considered slavery to be incompatible with city life, but this was mostly due to social reasons, rather than economic, as slave owners would sell their black men to the countryside because they feared resistance. To make up for the loosening of the discipline of slavery, segregation increased as a means of social control.

"genteel" southern women

Like northern women, the women in the south stayed at home and lived their lives mainly as a mother and a wife, but they lived under even stricter conditions. They "had the right to protection which meant the obligation to obey". They had less access to education than northern women. Any education they did receive was more about learning to be a proper lady. Some white women rebelled against their own roles by becoming abolitionists, but most women supported/deferred to this culture and would even encourage it to separate themselves from poor whites.

patriarchal society

Many southerners believed in this way of life in the mid 1800s. Some small farmers supported south because they believed that an assault on one hierarchical system (slavery) would lead to an assault on the patriarchal system that they were so loyal to.

Free African Americans

Most were slaves who somehow got money and bought themselves. They were mostly urban slaves. Some were set free by master Later there were restrictions made on freeing blacks because of fear of rebellion, making it more difficult for masters to free slaves. Some were rich most were very poor.

planter aristocracy

Only ¼ of population of south were slave owners, but the planter aristocracy (people who owned slaves) had more influence in society, which is why the image of the south was that everyone was a rich plantation owner. The planter aristocracy liked to compare themselves to the "true aristocracy" of Europe even though they weren't actually similar because they had new money they earned in America (not old money brought from Europe).

Factors

People in the deep south who marketed the crops planter's bankers). They were important because farmers would often get into debt so factors could make more sales and get them out of debt.

Slave Resistance

Slave resistance usually took less drastic forms than a revolt. Some escaped north or to Canada, and others escaped through the underground railroad, but there were many obstacles to a successful escape. There was also everyday resistance of masters.

"Peculiar institution"

Slavery was referred to as the peculiar institution by white southerners (distinctive, special, not odd). It caused increased isolation of the south which caused increase commitment to defend slave

Foreign slave trade

Smuggling of slaves into US continued until late 1850s despite law in 1808 that banned it. As there wasn't enough imports to satisfy all planters, there was discussion of the legal reopening of foreign trade to make the south more independent of the north.

Cavalier myth

Southerners saw themselves as "cavaliers" who were more elegant, aristocratic, and gracious in comparison to the northern "yankees" who were more gritty and hands on, when in fact they were much more like the north Americans than they were like cavaliers. But this idea prevented development of industry and Urbanism.

"Deep South"

The region that used to be called the "lower south" and was also called the "cotton kingdom". The wealth brought by cotton stimulated a lot of migration to this region because people wanted to join the farming class. There was also an increase in slaves in this region because people in the upper south's crops were becoming less valuable so they would sell their slaves to compensate and People in deep south bought slaves because of the demand for cotton labor. The region was increasingly dependent on the north because White collar workers of the south did not compare to the white collar workers of the north.

"plain folk"

The typical white southern farmer who wasn't a great planter or slaveholder. They were poor and knew they couldn't get better b/c of their limited education opportunities which was reserved for the upper class. Most of them didn't stand against the aristocratic system because they were tied to plantation aristocracy in important ways.

Southern honor

There were values of chivalry in the south. If they couldn't be a a plantation owner they strove to take up an occupation that would satisfy that aristocratic belief (ex: joined military-right thing to do). Dueling to prove their honor was popular in the south long after it vanished in the north.There were very strong values around what defines social status and manhood.

Slave codes

These laws forbade slaves to hold property, to leave masters without permission, to be out after dark, to congregate with other slaves except at church, to carry firearms, to hit a white person, and to testify in court against a white person. It also forbade whites to teach slaves how to read/write. It defined strict provisions defining race. Enforcement of these codes varied (along with overall treatment of slaves-task vs gang system).

Gabriel Prosser

This man lead one of the few slave revolts. In 1800, he gathered 1000 rebellious slaves outside Richmond, but the revolt failed because two blacks gave the plot away.

Denmark Vesey

This man, who was a Charleston free black lead one of the few slave revolts. In 1822 he and 9,000 followers prepared for revolt, but it failed because someone leaked the information.

Nat Turner

This man, who was a black preacher, lead one of the few slave revolts. He lead a band of blacks with weapons and killed 60 whites until they were repressed. It was the only large slave insurrection in the 1800s in the south. This stimulates fear of slave conspiracy.

"Sambo" stereotype

This stereotype depicted slaves to be shuffling, grinning, happy, and stupid. It was used to justify slavery in many people's minds.