Chapter 11: Cotton, Slavery, and the Old South

Gabriel Prosser Rebellion

1800 rebellion of 1,000 slaves in Richmond. Two slaves gave the plot away, and the Virginia militia ended the rebellion before it could begin, executing Prosser and thirty-five others.

Nat Turner Rebellion

1831 rebellion led by slave preacher. Rebels were armed with guns and axes and killed about sixty whites before being overpowered by state and federal troops. More than one hundred slates were executed in the aftermath. The only large-scale slave insurrection in nineteenth-century South.

Pidgin

A dialect of English used by slaves that retained some African words, used to communicate with slaves who spoke other languages.

slave religion

A separate slave religion was not supposed to exist, so almost all African Americans we Christians by the early nineteenth century. However, slaves did develop their own religion, often combining Christianity with religious traditions of Africa. Often more emotional than white religion, and involved chanting, conversion experiences, affirmations, etc. Emphasized the dreams of freedom and deliverance.

slave resistance

Actual slave revolts were rare—although they did happen, and terrified white Southerners—so many slaves rebelled in less drastic ways. Some would run away to the North, though it was difficult to escape, especially in the Deep South. Some stole from their masters, and other performed small acts of sabatoge, like losing or breaking tools, or performing tasks improperly.

paternal relationships

As most masters possessed only a few slaves, they developed a form of intimacy that was almost paternal. Could be affectionate, or cruel and tyrannical. Was based on the powerlessness of slaves and the absolute authority of their masters, creating a sense of dependency.

"Cotton Kingdom"

Beginning in the 1820s, cotton production on the South grew rapidly, due to the spread of short-staple cotton. Production began in the South, then moved westward. There were some fluctuations in price, but the economy continued to grow, and by the Civil War, cotton constituted nearly two-thirds of the total export trade of the United States. Centralized in the lower/Deep South. Settlement of the area resembled that of the gold rush

slave diet

Consisted mainly of cornmeal, salt pork, molasses, and occasionally fresh meat or poultry.

house slaves

Domestic slave staffs, generally on larger plantations. Lived close to the master and his family. Sometimes familial relationships might develop, but more often, house Slavs resented their isolation from fellow slaves and the lack of privacy which often resulted in harsher punishments. They were often the first to leave the plantations after the Civil War when they were granted emancipation.

rudimentary financial system

Economy was highly dependent on the agricultural system. Planters frequently accumulated substantial debts, especially when cotton prices were in decline. Southern merchant-bankers became figures of considerable influence and importance. Southerners were still highly dependent on the North.

"cult of honor"

Elaborate code of chivalry developed by white Southern males. Often involved dueling to protect "honor." Placed significant importance on conventional forms of courtesy and respect. Avenging insults to white Southern women became one of the most important obligations of a white southern gentleman.

"lower South"

Expanding agricultural regions in the new states of the Southwest. Relied more on cotton, and thus gained some economic power.

end of the foreign slave trade

Federal law had prohibited the importation of slaves in 1808, but some continued to be smuggled in as late as the 1850s. Some traders attempted to bring back the foreign slave trade, and only the delegates from the upper South, who profited from the domestic trade, opposed this idea.

weak manufacturing sector

In comparison to the Southen agricultural sector, other forms of economic activity developed more slowly. There was some growth in flour milling, textile and iron manufacturing, etc., but it was insignificant in comparison to the agricultural economy.

gang system

Slaves were divided into groups and forced to work for as many hours as the overseer considered a reasonable workday. Common on cotton, sugar, and tobacco plantations, and more common overall.

autonomy of urban slaves

In the cities, masters could not supervise their slaves closely while still using them profitably. Slaves moved during the day alone, which gave them opportunities to mingle with free blacks and whites. However, as white southerners began to fear insurrections, many urban slaveowners sold off their male property to the countryside, thus further increasing segregation in cities vs. the country.

Eli Whitney

Invented cotton gin in 1793. Also contributed to development of modern warfare—made each part of a gun according to a specific pattern.

cotton gin

Invented in 1793 by Eli Whitney. Machine that easily removed the sticky seeds of short-staple cotton, allowing cotton economy to grow.

plantation system

Many planters were determined to portray themselves as aristocrats, but plantation life was often as competitive and unstable as life for industrialists in the North. (lmao this isn't a definition)

sexual abuse

Masters and white overseers would often pressure female slaves, especially house slaves, into supposedly consensual sexual relationships and would sometimes rape them. Because of this, female slaves would often receive vindictive treatment from resentful white women, and would receive arbitrary bearings, increased workloads, and various forms of psychological abuse.

slave markets

Most of the transfer of slaves occurred through the medium of professional slave traders. Slaves were auctioned like livestock. Central markets included Natchez, New Orleans, Mobile, and Galveston.

"plain folk"

Nonslaveholding farmers who constituted most of the South. Most grew cotton or other crops for the market, but usually could not produce engu to expand their operations or get them out of debt. Had little influence in the public world of the South, despite constituting most of the population.

the "Southern Lady"

Similar in some ways to white women of the North—lives were centered in home, served as nurturers for husbands and children, treated as lesser than men. They were treated even more as subordinates in the South, partially due to the "code of honor." Also, most were isolated from people outside of their families, because most females lived on farms. They also had less access to education than their northern counterparts.

"upper South"

Original Southern states along the Atlantic coast. Relied heavily on cultivation of tobacco, and thus lost some of its economic power.

southern white birth rate

Remained nearly 20% higher than that of the nation as a whole, and infant mortality remained higher than elsewhere (about half the children born in the South died before the age of five).

expansion of slavery

Result of booming cotton industry. Many moved from upper South to the cotton states, either accompanying masters or being sold to planters already there. The sale of slaves to the Southwest became an important economic activity in the upper South.

task system

Slaves were assigned a particular task in the morning, and after completing the job, were free for the rest of the day. Common on rice plantations.

free blacks

Some slaves could earn enough money to own and their families' freedom, usually by developing a skill, usually urban black people. Others were freed by their masters or their master's death. In 1830s, state laws concerning slavery and free blacks became rigid due to fears of rebellion. These laws made it difficult for free slaves to get jobs, and placed other restrictions on them. While some free blacks were able to live successfully, most lived in poverty.

slave spirituals

Songs sung by slavrs, often when working in fields. Often had innocuous lyrics as to not draw attention from whites, but contained emotionally rich underlying messages of religion and freedom. Sometimes involved storytelling and dancing.

slave codes

Southern laws that forbade slaves from holding property, leaving their masters" homes without permission, being out after dark, carrying firearms, hitting a white person (even in self-defense), or congregating with other slaves. Prohibited whites from teaching slaves to read and write. Contained no provisions to legalize marriage or divorce. However, these laws were not always strictly enforced, and slave-master relationships varied—some slaves lived in prisonlike conditions, whereas other experienced some flexibility.

"hill people"

Southerners who lived in "hill country" or "back country" areas cut off from the more commercial world of the plantation system. Disconnected from the commercial economy of the South. Most were opposed to slavery because it threatened their sense of independence.

decline of the tobacco economy

Tobacco market was unstable, and subject to frequent depressions, including one from 1820-1850. Also exhausted the land where it grew, meaning it was difficult to stay in the same place for long. Many farmers in tobacco-growing regions—Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina—were producing other crops, notably wheat. Decline might have forced the regions to nonagricultural pursuits, but cotton took over.

inadequate transportation system

Unlike the North, there were no investments in roads, canals, railroads, etc. Railroads expanded in the 1840s-1850s, but failed to tie the region together effectively.

planter aristocracy

White planters of cotton, sugar, rice, tobacco, etc. Slaveowners who owned 800+ acres. Stood at apex of society, determining political, economic, and even social life of the region. Often compared their lives to aristocracies of England and Europe, but Southern classes were different in that most were new to their wealth.

short-staple cotton

a durable, coarse strain of cotton that could grow successfully in a variety of climates and soils. It was harder to produce than long-staple cotton, but the cotton gin made production easier, and it satisfied the growing demand for cotton.