1. Agricultural Changes in the South (1790-1860)
Chapter 14
Agricultural Changes in the South
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2. Chapter 14 Agricultural Changes in the South (1790-1860)
Section 1
The Growth of Cotton

3. The South’s Agricultural Economy
Southerner’s prided themselves on their ties to the land
Believed future of U.S. rested on agriculture
Southern agriculture began to decline after American Revolution
South’s first major cash crop = tobacco (took longer to produce)
Prices for major cash crops (indigo, rice and tobacco) fell
As prices fell, Upper South switched to crops that needed less labor (wheat) which led to drop in the value of slaves

4. The South’s Agricultural Economy
Some slaveholders freed slaves for moral or political reasons
Northern states gradually abolished slavery completely
Some planters freed slaves in their wills
Leaders predicted slavery would eventually die out

5. Whitney and the Cotton Gin
Some southerners saw cotton as a cash crop that would help the economy
Expanding British and American textile industries used cotton the make cloth
Farmers had trouble keeping up with demand because cotton was difficult to grow and process
Southerners had been growing small amounts of cotton since Jamestown was founded (1607)
Preferred Long-staple (black seed) because it was easiest to process; downside = only grew in few places
Short-staple (green seed) grew well, but difficult to remove seed

6. Whitney and the Cotton Gin
Eli Whitney built cotton gin (1793) – used hand-cranked cylinder with wire teeth to pull cotton fibers apart from the seeds
Visited a Georgia plantation, learned that such a machine was needed
Revolutionized the cotton industry, gave new life to southern agriculture

7. The Cotton Boom Whitney’s gin began cotton boom
By 1860 southern states east of the Mississippi produced 2/3 of all U.S. cotton
More than half of all American exports
“Cotton Kingdom” stretched from South Carolina to Texas – became known as the cotton belt
Referred to as “King Cotton” because of the importance of the cotton trade to the South’s economy

8. The Cotton Boom
Advantages of cotton as cash crop: easy grow, cost little to market, could be stored for a long time
Growing and harvesting cotton required many field hands (so did sugarcane in Louisiana)
planters began to use more slave labor
Congress made importation of slaves into U.S. illegal in 1808
Domestic slave trade increased

9. Chapter 14 Agricultural Changes in the South (1790-1860)
Section 2
The Southern Economy

10. The Cotton Trade
Great Britain became the South’s most valuable foreign trading partner
Made many believe it had turned the South into a global power
Sold tons of cotton to growing textile industry in Northeast
Led to growth of major port cities – Charleston, Savannah, New Orleans

11. The Cotton Trade Crop brokers called factors managed the cotton trade
Farmers sold cotton to merchants who made deals with factors
Most farmers relied on navigable rivers to get product to port
Shipping cotton by land was very difficult in the South
Roads projects limited, south was slow to build canals, fewer miles of railroad
Transportation Revolution had a wider impact in North than South

12. Agricultural Diversity
Scientific agriculture – use of scientific methods to improve farming
Goals - to increase crop production and protect land used to grow cotton
Crop rotation – changing the kinds of crops grown on a piece of land
Many worried about South’s dependence on cotton because it wore out the soil and made the South too dependent on foreign products

13. Agricultural Diversity
Common southern crops – rice, sweet potatoes, sugarcane, and wheat (London bought a lot from Alabama)
Tennessee = top corn growing state by late 1830s
Sugarcane became popular in Louisiana after Jean Etienne Bore (“Savior of Louisiana”) introduced new system for processing sugar – sugarcane to granulated sugar
Hemp and flax became major cash crops as a result of the cotton boom
Fibers used to make rope and sackcloth

14. Southern Factories Many of first factories built to process crops
Rope industry (Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee), turning sugarcane into sugar
Tredegar Iron Works (Richmond) – only large southern factory that made iron products (started by Joseph R. Anderson)
One of nation’s most productive iron works
Produced boilers, bridge materials, cannons, locomotives, steam engines and other products
South’s industrial growth lagged behind the North
Cash crops seemed to promise great wealth – most farmers invested in more land and slaves in order to grow more cotton
Profits went into developing plantation system, not southern industry

15. Chapter 14 Agricultural Changes in the South (1790-1860)
Section 3
Southern Society

16. The Planters
First half of 1800s, 1/3 of white southern families had slaves
Fewer had plantations
Despite small numbers, planters had powerful influence over South
Served as political leaders
Influenced the economy
Showed wealth by living in large mansions; some chose to live simple, saved all money to buy more land and slaves

17. The Planters
Male planters primarily concerned with raising crops and supervising slave laborers
Running of plantation households left to wife – oversaw raising of children and work of slaves within the household
Planters often arranged their children’s marriages based on business interests

18. Southern Society and Culture
Yeomen – owners of small farms
Majority of southern farmers
Average southern white women more likely to marry a small farmer than wealthy planter
Typically held few slaves or none at all
By 1860, about 80% of all southern farmers owned their own land
Average farm approx. 100 acres

19. Southern Society and Culture
Some earned enough to buy a few slaves; usually worked side by side with them
Planters and yeomen often looked down on the landless - poorest of white southerners
less than 10% of white American population
Lived on land not suited for growing cash crops
Survived by hunting, fishing, raising animals, tending small gardens, doing odd jobs for money

20. Southern Society and Culture
Religion central to social life
Farm families isolated from one another – saw neighbors only at church events
Wealthy white southerners used religion to justify their position in society and the institution of slavery
Set them against Northern Christians who believed God opposed slavery
Writers provided look into southern society – romantic view of rural life in south
Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) – Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Adventures of Tom Sawyer

21. The Urban South Urban economy was influenced by plantations
Southern cities like northern cities in many ways
City governments built public water systems and provided well-maintained streets
Public education available in some places
Southern urban leaders wanted their cities to appear as modern as possible
Hoped to impress foreign visitors who came to do business
Slaves did much of the work in the cities
Worked as domestic servants, in mills, in shipyards, and at skilled jobs
Urban whites more likely to hold slaves

22. Free African Americans
In 1860 more than half of all free African Americans were living in the South – some found work in southern cities
Worked in variety of jobs, mostly as skilled artisans
In rural areas, they often hired out their services to plantations
Churches often served as center of social life
Free and enslaved African Americans started a rare independent-church movement in Charleston, SC

23. Free African Americans
Faced constant discrimination – many cities and states passed laws limiting the rights of free African Americans
Could not vote, travel freely, or hold certain types of jobs
Whites feared they would try to encourage slave rebellions
Virginia (in 1806) banned former slaves from living in the state without special permission

24. Chapter 14 Agricultural Changes in the South (1790-1860)
Section 4
The Slave System

25. Slaves and Work
Most slaveholders tried to get as much work out of slaves as possible
Small farms – wide variety of jobs
Large plantations – assigned specific tasks
Drivers made sure slaves followed orders, carried out punishments – sometimes slaves themselves
Gang labor system – all hands worked on the same task at the same time, sunup to sundown

26. Slaves and Work
Men, women and children (around age 10) did the same work
Some worked as butlers, cooks or nurses in planter’s home
Often better food and clothing than field hands
Worked longer hours – 24 hours a day
Some planters allowed slaves who worked skilled jobs on the plantation hire out their services
Some earned money to buy their freedom this way

27. Life Under Slavery
Slaveholders tended to view slaves as property, not people
Some bought, worked and sold to make profit
Some slave traders kidnapped free African Americans to sell into slavery
Slaves received poor clothing and shelter, lived in small cabins with dirt floors, leaky roofs, and few furnishings
Some planters allowed slaves to keep their own vegetable gardens
Some planters offered more food or better living conditions to encourage slaves’ obedience, but most used punishment
Many states had strict slave codes that limited what slaves could do
Prohibited from traveling far from home
Teaching slaves to read or write usually illegal

28. Slave Culture
Despite harsh conditions, many took comfort in their community and culture
Strong ties to one another and their heritage
Family = most important unit of community
Feared being separated from family more than physical punishment
Passed down family histories as well as African customs and traditions
Told folktales (stories with a moral) to teach lessons about how to survive under slavery
Warned not to trust slaveholders
Religion was important – by 1800s, many slaves = Christians
Used spirituals to express religious beliefs (songs that blended African and European music)
Style of worship blended aspects of traditional African religions with those of Christianity

29. Challenging Slavery Slaves rebelled in small ways everyday
Working slower to protest long hours
Running away for a few days
Violent slave revolts were rare but white southerners lived in fear they would occur

30. Challenging Slavery
Most violent slave revolt in the U.S. occurred in 1831 (Virginia)
Nat Turner’s Rebellion – Turner believed God had called on him to end slavery
Led a group of slaves that set out to kill slaveholders and their families – killed about 60 white people in the area
More than 100 slaves killed in an attempt to put down the rebellion
Turner caught within three weeks and executed
As a result of Turner’s Rebellion, many states strengthened their slave codes