Topic # 12

The Antebellum South

I. Growth of the Cotton South

Spread of the South

Settled parts of the South grew dramatically from 1800-1860
Early pioneers

generally herdsmen and yeomen farmers
most moved because population growth in eastern states cut down amount of grazing and farmland
tended to move into areas similar to what they left
some moved into rich agricultural areas, but many settled in piney woods regions

Floodtide begins

Alabama and Mississippi saw large-scale migration during 1830s
Pushed into northern Louisiana and Texas during 1840s and 1850s

Cotton fuels growth of the South

for years, best cotton was long-staple cotton, grown along coast of Georgia and South Carolina
production of short-staple cotton--began to blossom in early 1800s
short-staple cotton was deemed too expensive to cultivate in 18th century because of difficulty in removing seeds
1793--Eli Whitney develops cotton gin to easily remove seeds from cotton
with advent of cotton gin, cultivation of cotton spread throughout much of the South--into any area where soil and growing season could support it

Reason for spread of cotton

demand for cotton from mills
English mills imported close to 70% of its cotton from South
Growth of northern mills further increased the demand
although the demand for cotton sometimes dwindled, it remained sufficiently profitable to make more and more people want to reap its rewards
at same time cotton on the rise, tobacco goes into a slide during 1790s

Spread of slavery

With the spread of cotton came the spread of slavery
In the 40 years between 1820 and 1860, around 2 million African Americans were either forcibly moved by their owners or sold to others in the Gulf states region

II. Social Relations in the White South

Southern society mixes aristocratic and democratic, premodern and modern elements
Landownership widespread
Slaveholders and Yeomen -- Different social classes

Planters

usually defined as owning 20 or more slaves
make up about 5% of white population, but control large amount of land (usually the best land) and most of slaves
lifestyle often different from that portrayed in movies

often in debt
looking for better land, higher efficiency, and profits
frequent moves often leave planters isolated from other planters and their wives
plantation mistress had heavy burden of responsibility--running household, deputy to husband, child-rearing
stress on planters' wives caused by double standard

mulatto children--Mary Boykin Chesnut
expected roles for women put them on pedastal--means of controlling women

small slaveholders

own less than 20 slaves
much more numerous than planters--around 15-20% of white population
in the uplands, the small slaveholders often side with yeomen, but in lowlands side with planters
frequently on move looking for better land and profits

yeomen

largest group of southern whites (2/3d's)
definition of yeoman

own no slaves
do own their own farms--usually 50-200 acres in uplands (away from plantation belt)

focus on food crops for self-sufficiency, but do grow some cash crops
work their own land, sometimes hire slaves at harvest time
many yeomen desire to become slaveholders if possible

poor whites

sometimes called "people of the pine barrens," although they can be found anywhere in the South
about 10% of white population
own no land, no slaves
often squatters or laborers on other farms
self-sufficient and independent

big planters socially and politically dominant

planter hegemony

control of society and politics by planters--with consent of nonslaveholders (requires some trade-offs)
reasons nonslaveholders consent

hopes of becoming slaveowners
best means of controlling what they see as socially inferior blacks
idea that having blacks as laborers (for other people) means all whites are equal

Proslavery Arguments

slavery a positive good--for blacks and whites
slavery sanctioned by history and religion
southern black slaves treated better than northern "wage slaves"
southern churches increase support of slavery (1830s-1860s)

III. Slave life and culture

Life as a slave

there is no one way that slaves lived, the kind of existence they had depended on a number of variables

who owner was
kind of agriculture practiced
whether they lived in rural or urban area, also upper South vs. lower South
presence of other slaves on same place or nearby

Material provisions to slaves--not much beyond bare necessities

Food

basic diet consisted of pork, cornmeal, coffee, and molasses or corn syrup
supplementing diet with vegetables grown from own gardens
sometimes master would allow trusted slaves to hunt to add more meat

Clothing

rough clothing--usually one or two cotton shirts or dresses per year, osnaburg (rough canvas) pants for men, straw hat
shoes--none until weather got cool

Housing

Usually lived in one-room cabins (often no bigger than 10' x 20'), with a door and one or two windows--shuttered, no glass--dirt floor, mud-daubed walls, crude chimney
little furniture--usually hand made
straw bedding
few pieces of cookware
frequently one or two families lived in a single cabin
grouping of quarters when larger numbers of slaves

Disease--combination of poorly balanced diet, no shoes, and crowded housing aided spread of contagious diseases and increased severity of infections

Work patterns

in agriculture

Gang labor versus task labor

gang labor

everyone works together as group
men and women both work the fields--though often at different jobs
most common kind of labor in cotton or tobacco areas

task labor

used mostly in rice and sugar plantations
each individual has different tasks to complete--works separately from others

Amount of labor

usually long hours--from sunup to sundown
intensity and hours varied from season to season
spring and summer longest and hardest hours (breaks during hot hours of summer days)
fall (after harvest) and winter spent more on preparations for growing--intensity of work less severe

Slaves working in households or as artisans

types of work: maids, personal servants, blacksmiths, carpenters, etc.
working conditions

good--escape harsh labor of fieldwork
bad--having to work in close proximity to owners at all times; behavior always looked at closely; close proximity for women had additional hazard of unwanted sexual advances
status of

Slaves in the cities and industry

types of work

household
artisans--tin, copper, and silversmiths; blacksmiths; carpenters

greater freedom of movement for city slaves
a few slaves work in southern factories, mines, lumbering
these slaves (especially in skilled crafts) seen as having a higher value than field hands--Charleston slave who was expert silversmith had value of $25,000

Control of slaves

Physical conditions of slaves frequently differed little from that of yeomen or poor whites--NOTE: physical conditions are not what make slavery so bad
Physical control

Whipping
Other forms of abuse (branding, caging, denial of food most common)
Comparisons with other slave societies
Discussion of State v. Mann (N.C.S.C., 1830)

C.J. Thomas Ruffin
compares to control over children, etc.
hopelessness of slave's condition
"Absolute control over the body"

Mental aspect of slavery (the really bad part)

Control over movement---Slave patrols
Required to submit to demands of master
Uncertainty! Uncertainty! Uncertainty!

Attitudes toward the master

"Good" masters vs. Simon Legree types

few Simon Legrees
reminder that to the slaveowner, a slave is a valuable piece of human property--should not be abused so badly that ability to work is hampered

Two-faces of slave attitudes

Culture of slaves

Persistence of African culture
Religion
Family life
Gender roles

slave men seen by whites as unmasculine, could not protect their women and children
women played special role in nurturing young girls to adulthood
women often had more to do with children, because if couple belonged to different masters, children stayed with mother

Resistance to slavery

Individual resistance

work slowdowns and refusals to obey orders
sabotage of work equipment--break implements
running away--temporarily and permanently
theft
arson
murder

Rebellion

Gabriel's rebellion--Virginia, 1800

Word of slave revolt in Haiti gradually spread to mainland
Gabriel Prosser, a slave blacksmith who enjoyed a modest amount of freedom because of his position, plotted with his brother to lead an insurrection to free blacks in tidewater Virginia
Prosser managed to gain support of about 50-60 slaves--perhaps as many as 1,000 other slaves knew about it
Plans to burn Richmond failed because of wet weather
Whites learned of the plan, and executed a number of the leaders, including both Prossers
Not all blacks were executed -- many sold away to Deep South
Failed revolt left many whites in the area very nervous for a long time

Denmark Vesey

free black -- won freedom in a lottery
conspired to lead a rebellion in Charleston in 1822
many slaves from leading families involved (maybe as many as 3,000)
rebellion harshly put down

Nat Turner's Rebellion

Southampton County, Virginia--Aug. 1831
Turner somewhat educated as a child, became a preacher
Planned for a long time on how to revolt
led group of about 100 slaves on rebellion--tried to get more to join, but they were scared
killed sixty whites, men and women, young and old
nearly 200 blacks executed, including many who knew of rebellion but did not join
Image of Nat Turner's Rebellion remained in the minds of white Southerners for decades afterward

Why so few known rebellions