Antebellum America
“before the war”
North – factory labor
South – plantation system
NORTH - New Machines transform the
TEXTILE industry (cloth making)
John Kay – Flying Shuttle
Richard Arkwright
Waterframe
James Hargreaves
Spinning Jenny
“Old Immigration”
Before the Civil War, most immigrants
came from Northern and Western
Europe (England, Germany, Ireland)
Factory Labor
The Factory System
 Harsh life for workers
 Rigid schedule
 Long Hours
 Dangerous conditions
 Mostly employed woman and children
Discrimination/Prejudice
 Policy or attitude that denies equal rights to certain groups
of people
 African-Americans in the North and most immigrant
groups were denied the vote, the jury box, positions in the
gov’t, the army, access to public lands, and public school
 Limited job opportunities
Nativists – wanted to preserve the country for
‘native-born’ white citizens
 These first 20 Africans were not made to be slaves by the
Jamestown colonists – they became indentured servants
 Unfortunately, the idea of slavery in Virginia
evolved/grew gradually, beginning slowly & eventually
leading to life long enslavement
The case of John Punch 1640
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fllfe9um4zQ
15:00 – 20:05
 What does the case of John Punch illustrate?
 Why is 1640 considered a turning point? What is it that changes?
 How does “race” come to mean something?
 John Punch was punished more harshly than the other indentured
laborers, he was made a slave for life
 Turning point where Africans were treated differently than
Europeans, “whiteness” is privileged
 Race becomes at this point a way to divide people, it keeps them
from uniting, “race” becomes a category of separation
Emancipation in the North – (granting
freedom)
1619: Arrival of "20 and Odd" Blacks aboard an English pirate ship, under the Dutch flag.
Were sold/traded into servitude for supplies.
1630's: it was considered "customary practice to hold some Negroes in a form of life service”
some blacks were able to hold on to their status of being indentured servants, thus, eventually
gaining their freedom.
1639: All persons except Negroes are to be with Arms and Ammunition.
1640: John Punch, a runaway indentured Servant, first documented slave for life.
1662: Slavery was recognized in the statutory law of the colony. Legislation was passed
defining the status of “mulatto” children (black and white). Children would be considered the
same status as the mother. If the child was born to a slave, the child would be considered a
slave.
1667: Baptism does not bring freedom. Until the General Assembly outlawed it, baptism could
be the grounds for a black slave to obtain his/her freedom. It was considered for a period of
time that it was not proper for a Christian to enslave a fellow Christian.
1670: Blacks or Indians could no longer own white indentured servants.
1680: An act was passed preventing insurrections among slaves. Blacks could not congregate in
large numbers for supposed funeral or feasts. Blacks must also obtain written authorization to
leave a plantation at any given time. They could not remain at another plantation longer than 4
hours.
1691: First act prohibiting intermarriage. No Negro or Mulatto may be set free by any person
unless they pay for the transportation out of the colony within six months or forfeit ten
pounds of sterling so that the church wardens might have the Negro transported.
1692 Negroes must give up ownership of horses, cattle or hogs. Separate courts for the trial
of slaves charged with a capital crime, thus depriving them of the right of a trial by jury.
1705: Slave codes written into law
A cotton gin (short for cotton engine) is a machine that quickly and
easily separates the cotton fibers from the seeds, a job previously
done by hand.
Cotton Gin and Slavery
How are the two related?
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bns6aKfrIjA
By the start of the Civil War in
the Southern United States …
“COTTON IS KING”
Changes in Cotton Production
1820
1860
Cotton is measured in
“BALES”
How many more BALES of cotton were produced in
1860 compared to 1800?
3
4
1
2
5
5 generations
Crash Course
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ajn9g5Gsv98
SLAVERY AND THE MAKING
OF AMERICA
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSq8BDJbDGs
 Part 3 – 1:50:00 – 2:33:00
Harriet Jacobs – Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
"the [groups of slaves
"themarched
[groups of
slaves
are]
close
to a
are] marched close to a
fire previously kindled
fire previously kindled on
on
thebeach.
beach.Here
Here
the
marking-irons
(aka
marking-irons (aka
branding-irons)
are
branding-irons) are
heated,
and when
when an
an iron
iron
heated, and
isissufficiently
sufficiently hot,
hot, ititisis
quickly
in in
palm-oil,
quicklydipped
dipped
palmin
order
to
prevent
oil, in order to preventitsits
sticking to the flesh. It
sticking to the flesh. It is
is then applied to the
thenribs
applied
to the
or hip,
andribs
or hip, andeven
sometimes
sometimes
to the
even
to theEach
breast.
Each
breast.
slavedealer uses
hishis
own
slave-dealer
uses
own
mark,
when the
the
mark, so
so that
that when
[slaves]
their
[slaves] arrive
arrive at
at their
destination,
is [easy
[easyto
to
destination, itit is
tell] to whom those who
tell] to whom those who
died belonged"
died belonged"
(Travels in Western Africa in 1845 &
1846 [London,
1847;
(Travels
in Western
Africareprinted
in 1845 &
London,
1968],
vol.
I,
p.
143).
1846 [London, 1847; reprinted
London, 1968], vol. I, p. 143).
"the [groups of slaves
are] marched close to a
fire previously kindled on
the beach. Here
Onemarking-irons
of the slave's greatest
(aka
fears
was to be soldare
off
branding-irons)
heated,
and when
iron
and separated
froman
loved
is sufficiently
hot,toit is
ones. According
quickly
dipped
in palm-oil,
Mortimer
Thomson,
a
in
order
to
prevent
its
newspaper correspondent
sticking to the flesh. It
who covered the Butler
is then applied to the
sale,ribs
"Theorexpression
hip, and on
the faces of
all to
whothe
sometimes
even
stepped
onEach
the block
was
breast.
slavedealer
hisand
own
always
theuses
same,
told
mark,
that when
of moresoanguish
than itthe
is
[slaves]
arrive
at their
in the power
of words
to
destination,
it is [easy to
express."
tell] to whom those who
died belonged"
(Travels in Western Africa in 1845 &
1846 [London, 1847; reprinted
London, 1968], vol. I, p. 143).
Slave Auction Notice, 1823
This[groups
is a photo
of a
"the
of slaves
SLAVE
PEN, located
are]
marched
close toina
fire
previously
kindled
on
Alexandria,
Virginia.
The
theshows
beach.
Here
photo
a doorway
marking-irons
(aka
with
barred gate opening
branding-irons) are
to
courtyard, pens are
heated, and when an iron
visible
to right. Two of the
is sufficiently hot, it is
six pen
doors in
arepalm-oil,
open.
quickly
dipped
in order to prevent its
The domestic
trade
sticking
to theslave
flesh.
It
is transported
then applied
to of
the
100s
ribs orofhip,
andfrom
thousands
slaves
sometimes
even to
to the
the
the upper south
breast. Each slaveCotton Kingdom –
dealer uses his own
culminating
in the internal
mark, so that when the
sale & transportation
of
[slaves]
arrive at their
250,000 enslaved
peopleto
destination,
it is [easy
in 1860,
from those
the upper
tell]
to whom
who
died
belonged"
south
to the
deep south
(Travels in Western Africa in 1845 &
1846 [London, 1847; reprinted
London, 1968], vol. I, p. 143).
where slave labor was in
high demand.
This slave quarter complex was located on a plantation near
Bunkie, Louisiana. In the background is a large sugar house.
There is only a low wooden fence surrounding these slave
quarters.
"Negro family representing five generations on Smith's Plantation,
Beaufort, S.C." A group portrait of ten slaves in front of the doorway to
their quarters. Photograph by Timothy O'Sullivan.
Learn how to read. Gather in groups of more than two. Own or
carry guns. Have their children born free. Marry a white person.
Testify in court. Lift a hand against a white person, even in selfdefense Charge slave owners with a crime, even if they killed their
own slaves. Visit other plantations, or leave their plantation without
written permission.
 http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/list/081_cwaf7.html
Monticello reunion
Betty and Phoebe Kilby first met in February
2007. They are linked by a slave past.