Ch. 11 Notes – APUSH - Antebellum Slave life
Mason-Dixon line (Penn/Maryland border) becomes symbolic of split between north and
south.
1808 – Congress – No more slave imports
1833 – British outlaw slavery in their empire
1860 – 4 million slaves in the south – 1/3 of total population.
3/4ths of World cotton grown in the south – represents ½ of the value of US total exports
1860 – “Investment” in Slaves is worth more than value of all factories, railroads and banks –
combined!
Taxes on sale of slaves finances southern state and local governments.
3/4ths of southern whites own NO slaves; live in remote areas; poor crappy land, They pay
little or no taxes; isolated from market economy.
Plantation owners have the best land – own the most slaves.
Andrew Jackson and Andrew Johnson (Lincoln’s VP) represent poor southern whites. Opposed
to the power of the “Slaveocracy”
Poor whites often rent slaves from large owners.
Slave owners present various arguments why slaves should exist in a “Land of Liberty” - Foner
podcast #4
Slave owners make the argument that northern factory workers are “slaves” to the market
economy.
Slave laws in south – P. 406
Celia case – p. 406
Free Blacks
Frederic Douglass becomes free black spokesman – Foner podcast #1
1860- ½ million free blacks; most live in south. Even in the North they can’t vote.
 Can’t own guns or liquor
 Can’t fight with whites – even in self defense
 Can’t testify in court or be on a jury
 Must carry freedom certificate (their papers) at all times.
 Vast majority of free blacks live in the upper south (Kentucky, Maryland, Virginia)
Slave Culture – based on family ties and religion – Foner podcast #2
By early 1800s, most slaves born in the US; Even male/female ratio
Slaves can marry, BUT 1/3 of marriages disrupted by sales
Religions are mostly based on Christianity – usually done secretly or in isolation from whites
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Jesus seen as fair; represents oppressed people
Moses – leads oppressed people out of slavery in Egypt.
Relief will come in heaven
Slave work songs based on biblical stories (Daniel in Lion’s Den)
Slave Resistance – individual acts of defiance to occasional uprisings
Southern system of control too effective to permit mass rebellions
Silent sabotage – poor work, theft (often food) disruptions to plantation work
Fugitive slaves – most from upper south, mostly young men.
Underground railroad helps some (Harriet Tubman)
Most who reach north get there on their own; follow the North Star.
1839 – Amistad (Rare case) Cuban slaves capture control of ship
Get their case heard in US Supreme Court. Since they were brought to US after
1808, their “import” is illegal – they get returned to Africa.
Sporadic revolts – all unsuccessful
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1800 – Gabriel – Richmond, VA
1811 – Sugar cane plantation slaves near New Orleans
1822 – Slaves led by D.Vesey revolt near Charlestown, SC
1831 – Nat Turner rebellion - Virginia
Key idea – Slaves not able to gain freedom by revolts. System of control is too overpowering.