1. The South and Slavery
King Cotton Reigns
4, 5
4, 6, 39, 60

2. Slavery Expands and Cotton Becomes King
Cotton Gin
Trade
Cotton exported to England; $ from sale of cotton used to buy northern goods
Britain heavily dependent on cotton to feed its textile factories (80% came from U.S.)
Cotton accounted for 50% of all American exports after 1840.
South produced 75% of world’s cotton.

3. Slave Rebellions Stono Rebellion, 1739 Gabriel Prosser, 1800
South Carolina slaves fled toward Florida killing whites along way
Gabriel Prosser, 1800
Rebellion did not materialize and Prosser and 26 others were hanged.
Denmark Vesey 1822.
A slave informer advised his master of the plot
Vesey and 30 others publicly hanged

4. Slave Rebellions Nat Turner’s revolt -- 1831
Sixty Virginians slaughtered, mostly children and women
Wave of killing slowed down revolt’s aim of capturing armory
Largest slave revolt ever in the South
Over 100 slaves were killed in response; Turner was hanged.
Southern states made it increasingly difficult for masters to free their slaves

5. Slave Rebellion Cont.
The most common form of resistance on the part of black American slaves prior to the Civil War
passive resistance, including breaking tools and slightly slowing the pace of work

6. The Planter "Aristocracy"
South an oligarchy
Ruled by wealthy plantation owners
1850, only 1,733 families owned more than 100 slaves; yet dominated southern politics

7. Peculiar Institution
Economic structure of South was monopolistic, dominated by wealthy plantation owners
Plantation system
Risky : Slaves might die of disease, injure themselves, or run away.
System required heavy investment of capital
One-crop economy (cotton)
Discouraged a diversification of agriculture and esp. manufacturing

8. Peculiar Institution
Southerners resentful the North made huge profits at their expense
Resented being so dependent on northern manufactures & markets
Repelled large-scale European immigration
Only 4.4% of foreign-born part of South’s pop. in 1860; 18.7% in North.

9. Plantation Slavery
Nearly 4 million slaves by 1860; quadrupled in number since 1800
Legal imports of slaves ended in 1808
Countless slaves smuggled in despite death penalty for slavers
Burdens of slavery
Slaves deprived of dignity and sense of responsibility that free people have
suffered cruel physical and psychological treatment
Denied an education since
seen as dangerous to give slaves ideas of freedom

10. Plantation Slavery Cont
The increase in the South's slave labor force between 1810 and 1860
Natural population increase of American-born slave
White slave owners often fathered sizable mulatto population.
Most remained slaves
Slaves seen as valuable assets and primary source of wealth
Slave auctions one of most revolting aspects of slavery
Punishment often brutal to send a message to other slaves not to defy master’s authority

11. The White Majority
By 1860, only 1/4 of white southerners owned slaves or belonged to slave-owning families
Small slave owners made up a majority of masters.
75% of white southerners owned no slaves at all.
Mostly subsistence farmers; didn’t participate in market economy

12. The White Majority
Fiercely defended the slave system as it proved white superiority
Poor whites took comfort that they were "equal" to wealthy neighbors
Poor Southern whites someday hoped to own slaves and realize the "American dream."