Slavery

I. Capture and the Middle Passage A. Original slaves were captured war prisoners and people from tribes in the south Sahara Desert. B. After capture, Africans were packed tightly into slave ships. C. The death rate of the “passengers” was 50%.

The Middle Passage

D. Destination, Auction, and Seasoning 1. Most Africans landed in Brazil with the least number landing in North America. 2. Slaves were auctioned off to the highest bidder. 3. Slaves were put through a process of “seasoning” to get them ready for work. a. survived first attack of disease b. were shown labor requirements

II. The Beginnings of Slavery in the United States A. The Portuguese and Spanish had already brought Africans to South and Latin America. B. In 1619, the first Africans were brought to the colony Jamestown, Virginia by the Dutch.

C. Why Not Enslave the Native Population? 1. Native Americans were highly likely to catch European diseases. 2. They were familiar with the terrain and could escape easier. 3. They had political allies that could fight against the “owners.”

D. Reasons for Using Enslaved African Labor 1. Proximity-It only took 2-6 weeks to get to the colonies from the Caribbean at first. 2. Experience-They had previous experience and knowledge working in sugar and rice production. 3. Immunity from diseases-Less likely to get sick due to prolonged contact over centuries. 4. Low escape possibilities-They did not know the land, had no allies, and were highly visible because of skin color.

Anthony Johnson He was an African brought to the colonies in the 1620s. He obtained his freedom, and purchased 250 acres of land in Virginia. He owned at least one slave and white indentured servants. This shows that blacks were not thought of strictly as slaves until the 1660s.

III. Slavery in the Colonies A. By Location: 1. New England colonies-no large plantation systems; slaves lived in cities and small farms 2. Chesapeake Bay colonies-large tobacco plantations; center of the domestic slave trade 3. Carolinas and Georgia-large rice and cotton plantations

B. The Effects of the American Revolution and the Constitution 1. Gradual abolition of slavery in the northern colonies 2. End of the Atlantic Slave Trade in 1808 3. Entrenchment of slavery in the South with the invention of the cotton gin in 1793 by Eli Whitney

C. Life of a Slave 1. Most slaves had Sundays off and they went to church. 2. Most slaves could not read or write, and it was illegal for them to learn. 3. Slave Codes-They could not: leave their home without a pass, carry a weapon, gather in groups, own property, legally marry, defend themselves against a white person, or speak in court.

D. Resistance 1. Flight-Slaves would runaway. 2. Truancy-Flight for a short amount of time and then the slave came back. 3. Refusal to reproduce-Women refused to have children. 4. Covert Action-Slaves would sometimes kill animals, destroy crops, start fires, steal stuff, break tools, poison food.

E. Violence 1. 4 major slave revolts- a. Stono Rebellion-failed revolt in South Carolina in 1739 b. Gabriel Prosser-led failed revolt in Virginia in 1800 c. Denmark Vessey-led failed revolt in South Carolina in 1822 d. Nat Turner-killed 60 white people in Virginia in 1831

Slave Ownership While most people grew corn and cotton with the labor of their own families, there were large farm estates known as plantations. These plantations were concentrated in the most productive areas of the state. This, in turn, led to high concentrations of slave ownership in these areas. In 1860, there were fewer than 31,000 slave owners in the state. (about 9% of the white population) About half of the slaveowners owned no more than 5 slaves Only 19 slaveowners owned more than 300 The majority of slaves lived on plantations with about 20 slaves.

F. Punishment 1. Slaves were often brutally punished for misbehaving. 2. Punishments included: whipping, branding, being sold, gagged (silence), and other torturous methods were used.

Free Blacks Not all blacks in Mississippi were slaves. Most free blacks lived in towns like Natchez and Vicksburg and had many different jobs. The most prominent free black man was William Johnson of Natchez, who was a barber, owned farms and slaves. He was murdered but because the only witnesses were also black they could not testify in court.

The Constitution of 1832 Many changes occurred in the early nineteenth century in America. The property ownership requirement to vote was eliminated. This meant that now ALL adult white men could vote and hold political office This time period was also known as the “Era of the Common Man” The paradigm shifted because of increased suffrage so that even if a wealthy man served in office it was because the numerically superior poor had elected them. The most visible example of this shift was the 1828 election of Andrew Jackson to the presidency. He had little formal education and inherited nothing.

Constitution of 1832 Important changes to the 1817 Constitution: Judges were elected by the people for specific terms rather than appointed for life. Most state offices also became elective Representation in both houses was now only determined by population. One provision of the new Constitution banned the importation of slaves into Mississippi if they were to be sold. The legislature eventually passed laws to enforce this provision but it never was, because the slave trade was so lucrative.

Slavery The fact that the state legislature included anti-slavery provisions in the constitution showed how divisive and troubling the issue of slavery was to the people of the state. Some questioned the morality of owning other human beings Some feared the possibility of slave revolts Some saw it as an issue of permanent division in society where very few would be wealthy and everyone else very poor. Slavery was always a divisive issue in the state

Acquisition of Native American Land

Assimilation Tension increased between Native Americans and white settlers as whites steadily moved westward At first the federal government supported a policy of “Assimilation” This theory was that if Native Americans relied on farming rather than hunting, they would need less land and co-exist with the white settlers The Native Americans were not given much time to change and even if they tried, felt as if their heritage and way of life was being stolen away. By the War of 1812, the government gave up on Assimilation because it became clear the Natives could side with the enemies of the U.S.

Trail of Tears The Choctaw, Creek, Chickasaw, Cherokee, and Seminole all made their way west as best they could, often without government help. Some Native Americans fought removal. The Seminole waged a seven-year war before some of them were allowed to stay in the Florida Everglades. Some of the Choctaw returned to Mississippi, living in small communities throughout the state. By 1860, there were about 1,000 Choctaw in Ms. In the early 1900’s, the federal government established the present reservation in Neshoba County and permitted tribal government.

Antebellum Mississippi Antebellum – “before the war”

Land Grab The removal of the Choctaw and Chickasaw from Mississippi in the 1830’s sparked a land boom and a population explosion. 30 new counties were organized during these years. In the four years between 1833-1837 seven million acres were sold. The State’s population grew faster than the country’s. Prosperity seemed to be everywhere in the state

Economy Land was cheap and cotton prices were high. Banks extended easy credit and issued paper money which far exceeded the amount of gold and silver they had on hand. This boom ended abruptly and sent the United States economy into the worst economic depression up to that point. Although the state had supported Andrew Jackson for president, it was his economic policies that precipitated the disaster. Jackson destroyed the second Bank of The US. He then transferred government funds to his “Pet Banks”. These banks then printed more money and loaned it out

Economy The men that borrowed this paper money then purchased government land. The Federal Government then took two actions that ended the party: 1. The Specie Circular of 1836 required that land purchases be made with specie rather than paper money. 2. The Distribution Act required surplus money to be paid back in specie money and when paper money was turned in for specie the banks did not have it and collapsed. This led to the Panic of 1837. The depression hit Ms, land was foreclosed on, cotton prices collapsed, banks vanished, state bonds went defunct.

Education Education developed slowly in Ms. Most could not afford to spend a lot of money on education and the economy was agriculturally based so it was seen as unneeded By 1860 there were over 1100 public schools but they only met about 3 months a year. Only studied reading, writing and basic math Most were one-room schoolhouses

Higher Education Was the responsibility of private institutions and religious organizations Jefferson College in Washington and Oakland College in Claiborne County provided the first higher education in the state. Neither survived the Civil War The University of Mississippi was established in 1840 but did not begin operation in Oxford until 1848. It closed during the Civil War because most students and faculty joined the Confederate Army.

The End