Lesson 43-People in the South Unit 7 – North and South Lesson 43-People in the South

Review As industry grew in the North, agriculture remained the strength of the Southern economy. The big change in the South was the transition of tobacco as the main cash crop to cotton, which happened due to Eli Whitney’s cotton gin. Many Southerners believed that their economy would be successful by only relying on farming, and that there was no need to bring industry to the region.

People of the South Most people believe that the South, prior to 1860, was filled with beautiful plantations that were owned by wealthy, white landowners, with hundreds of slaves working the fields. Most white Southerners fit into one of four categories: yeomen, tenant farmers, rural poor, or plantation owners.

Yeomen Yeomen were farmers who did not have slaves, and made up the largest group of whites in the South. They lived in the Upper South and hills of rural Deep South where the land was not good for plantations. They grew crops for their own use or to sell or trade with local merchants and workers for goods and services.

Yeomen

Tenant Farmers Tenant farmers did not own their own land, but rented land. Tenant farmers worked on someone else’s land for food and pay.

Rural Poor The rural poor lived in wooded areas where they could clear some trees, build a cabin, plant some corn, and keep a hog or cow. Fishing and hunting was also another way of getting food for the rural poor. This group was independent and refused to take a job that could be viewed as work of a slave.

Rural Poor The rural poor were looked down upon by other Southern whites. But they were proud of being self-sufficient, or the ability to take care of themselves.

Plantations Plantations were large estates with several thousand acres of land, mostly used for farming. Most plantation owners lived in comfortable, but not luxurious, farmhouses. A plantation owner’s wealth was measured by the number of slaves they owned and other possessions such as homes, furnishings, and clothing.

Plantations

Plantations About 4 percent of plantation owners owned more than 20 slaves in 1860. Most slaveholders in the South had fewer than 10 enslaved workers. A few free African Americans owned plantations and slaves. Usually, these free African Americans had purchased their own family members in order to free them.

Plantation Owners The main goal of a plantation owner was to earn a profit. These larger plantations had fixed costs, or regular expenses such as housing, feeding workers and maintaining equipment. These fixed costs remained the same from year to year.

Plantation Owners The price of cotton, the main crop of plantations, changed from season to season, depending on the supply and demand. These landowners would travel to major Southern cities to meet with agents at the cotton exchanges, or trade center, trying to get the best prices for their cotton.

Cotton Exchange

Plantation Owners The agents of the cotton exchanges would offer credit, a form of loan, to the planters and hold onto the cotton for several months until the price rose, and then would finally sell the cotton. Due to this, the planters were always in debt because they did not receive any money until the cotton was sold.

Plantation Wives A plantation wife often lived a difficult and lonely life. They were responsible for managing the plantation while the husband was traveling looking for new land or to do business at the cotton exchanges.

Plantation Wives Plantation wives were also in charge of watching over the slaves who worked on the farms. She would have to take care of them when they got sick. She was responsible for managing the different buildings of the plantation and the fruit and vegetable gardens. Some wives also managed the financial records of the estate.

Plantation Wives

Work on the Plantation Large plantations needed many different kinds of workers. Domestic slaves worked in the house, cleaning, cooking, doing laundry, sewing and serving meals. Other slaves were trained as blacksmiths, carpenters, shoemakers or weavers.

Other slaves worked in the pastures, taking care of the horses, cows, sheep and pigs. Most of the African American slaves were field hands. They worked long days planting, cultivating, and picking cotton and other crops. They were supervised by an overseer, or plantation manager.

Life as a Slave Slaves worked hard, earned no money, and had little hope of earning freedom. A major fear for slaves was being sold to another planter and being separated from loved ones. Even though they dealt with horrible conditions, they maintained their family life as best they could and created their own culture.

Life as a Slave Enslaved African Americans families feared of being separated, so they formed a network of relatives and friends, which remains strong in African American culture today.

Life as a Slave The slaves held on to their African customs in many ways. They practiced African music and dance. They told traditional African folk stories to their children. Some wrapped colored cloths around their head in African style.

Life as a Slave Christianity became a religion of hope, praying for the day they would be free. African American slaves created religious songs called spirituals, which usually combined Christian faith with ideas about earthly suffering. Many of these spirituals were used to communicate secretly with one another while working in the fields.

Slave Codes Slave codes were laws created by Southern states to control the slaves and prevent a slave rebellion. Slaves were not allowed to assemble in large groups or to leave the plantation without a written pass from the owner. It was also illegal to teach a slave how to read or write.

Slave Codes

Southern Cities Although mostly agricultural, the South had many large cities that were centers for trade, and were usually located along seaports or river ports. The invention of the railroad also led to the growth of other cities inland. Southern cities were often home to white city dwellers, some slaves, and many of the free African Americans of the South.

Southern Cities

Southern Cities The cities offered the free African Americans with an opportunity to build their own communities. Although free, these African Americans were not secure, as many of the Southern states had laws limiting their rights. Most states would not allow them to move from state to state.

Conclusion The South during the early 1800s is usually viewed as being filled with large plantations that are worked by hundreds of slaves. A very small percentage of the South was this way. Most of the South had independent white farmers that owned few slaves. Life on the plantations was hard for most that lived there, especially the slaves. Cities in the South continued to grow, but still lacked the industrialization of the North.

Assignments Answer the four review questions for this lesson. Visit the website http://historyonthenet.com/Slave_Trade/plantationquickquiz.htm and take the quick quiz there…keep attempting until you get a perfect score. You will have a Unit 7 test after you complete Lesson 45