The Peculiar Institution, 1830-1860

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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