1. The Peculiar Institution, 1830-1860

2. Slavery was at the heart of the Antebellum South
Planters used the word “peculiar” as in “unique”
25% of white southerners owned slaves
❖ 1860 – about 8 million white southerners
❖ 2 million owned slaves
Southern capital was invested in land and slaves
This kept the South overwhelming agricultural
84% of labor force engaged in agriculture
Slavery discouraged immigration
Slavery impeded industry and innovation

3. Antebellum South Remained rural
Antebellum means “before the war” Cities develop on the periphery Banks and railroads serve planters

4. The Planter Class
Planter owned 20 or more slaves Only 12% of slave owners were “planters” Planters owned most of the slaves Planters owned the best lands Planters held all the key political offices Planters controlled 90% of the regions wealth.

5. The Plantation
The typical plantation had 20 to 50 slaves Occupied from 800 to 1,000 acres of land. Southern agriculture was labor intensive

6. The Black Population in 1850
3.6 million Blacks lived in the United States ■ Of that number 7% were free ■ Of that number 95% lived in the South ■ Of that number, 3,204,313 were enslaved

7. Slave Population not evenly distributed
More than half lived in the Deep South
By the 1850s Blacks outnumbered whites in South Carolina and Mississippi
In the Upper South, whites generally outnumbered blacks.
Ninety percent of slaves worked in agriculture
In the deep South the majority of slaves lived and worked on cotton plantations.

8. Crops grown by slaves Cotton the leading cash crop Rice Corn Sugarcane
Tobacco.

9. jobs performed by slaves
Planting and harvesting
Clearing new land
Digging ditches
Cutting and hauling wood
Slaughtering livestock
Repairing buildings and tools.
Women had the added tasks of . . .
Cooking
Taking care of children
Making clothing

10. The lives of slaves varied widely
The conditions slaves encountered depending on ● the size of the farm or plantation ●. . . the crop being grown ● the personality of the master ● whether he was an absentee owner

11. Slaves on small farms
Worked alongside the Master Closer contact with whites

12. The Overseer
Slaves on the plantations dealt primarily with the “overseer” or the “driver”
Overseers were often paid by the size of the harvest
Slaves on rice and sugar plantations had especially difficult lives

13. Status determined by job performed
A slaves status was determined by his or her job House servants and drivers Skilled artisans Field hands

14. Field hands did the hardest work
Men and women worked in the fields Most were organized into “gangs” Longs hours of hard work Some masters used the task system Slaves preferred the task system Planting and harvest season – long hours

15. Rewards and Punishments
Hard working slaves were rewarded
Money, food, gifts, or time off
Slaves who didn’t work hard were punished
denied passes
food allowance reduced
sold.
The Whip

16. clothing, Housing, and Medical Care
Masters maintained slaves with a minimum of expense Rough, cheap cloth for slave clothing A couple of outfits per year One pair of shoes per year Cramped, poorly built cabins Meagerly furnished Slave owners treated sick slaves themselves Less than a dollar a year on medical care for each slave.

17. Life expectancy Slaves had shorter life expectancy than whites
8 years less than a white person.
Higher infant mortality than whites
20% of children died before the age of 5
United States was the only slave society in the Americas where the slave population increased naturally