Standard Indicator 8-4.1
Antebellum & Events Leading to Civil War
1. During colonial times Agriculture was the basis of society in South Carolina.
2. What 2 factors contributed to the establishment of large plantations? Headright Method &
Availability of Slave Labor
3. By 1860 South Carolina had the highest percentage of slaves in the nation.
4. On what type of farms did most South Carolinians live? Family and Subsistence Farms
5. Did these farmers own slaves? If they did, it was 1 or 2 and they worked side by side with
them in the fields
6. How many slaves did the majority of slave owners in SC own? 1 or 2. Many of these owners
worked alongside the slaves in the fields. Few slave owners owned large plantations.
7. The economic, social, & Political systems in SC were based on the institution of slavery.
8. What inventor & invention gave SC farmers a new cash crop? Eli Whitney and the cotton gin
9. What did the invention of the cotton gin result in? A new cash crop for SC
10. How did the cotton gin impact the Upcountry? It impacted the lives of slaves & political
rights of whites
11. Why were the Lowcountry elites less fearful of loss of political power to the Upcountry after
the cotton gin’s invention? Upcountry farmers increase their ownership of slaves
12. Since the Regulator Movement, the Upcountry had wanted equal representation in the
legislature.
13. How did the 1810 amendment to SC’s constitution provide equal voting? It gave every “free
white man of 21” the right to vote.
14. South Carolina was the first state to give the vote to all white males over the age of 21. The
cotton gin had impacted the lives of slaves & the political of white South Carolinians.
15. Although slave importation (international slave trade) was outlawed in 1808, the slave
population continued to grow in antebellum South Carolina because of cotton not slave trade.
16. How did southern planters and northern mill owners acquire great wealth? Slave labor
17. What was in high demand as soil began to wear out? New land
18. What did southerners argue needed to happen to find new land? Westward expansion
19. Plantation life required self-sustaining communities and depended on the institution of
slavery for the production of goods and services needed to support plantations.
20. What kind of work did slaves do? Cleared land, planted, cultivated, harvested, & processed
the crop.
21. How long did a typical work day last for slaves? How many days a week did slaves work?
Dawn to dusk, 6 days a week
22. Where did women and children work? They worked in the fields
23. What did some master’s do with slaves that had a wide range of skills? They were hired out
24. Since slave owners had a large financial investment in slaves, they were concerned about
their property and therefore some treated their slaves comparatively well, although others
were brutal.
25. Although the treatment of slaves varied from one owner to another, slaves were consistently
denied their freedom and forced to work long hours.
26. What did masters provide for their slaves? A minimum of food, clothing, and shelter
27. Since the law did not recognize slave marriages, families were often separated through sale
because of changes in the slave owner’s family or finances. The law also forbade teaching a
slave to read and write.
28. What type of housing did slaves have? Small cabins with dirt floors
29. Why were slaves constantly monitored? To ensure they did not run away
30. What happened to runaways? They were harshly punished
31. What were some ways that slaves revolted or protested? Work slow-downs, destruction of
master’s property, and fake illnesses.
32. Although slaves were often separated from family members through sale, they created
extended family ties and found some solace in religion. African Americans converted to
Christianity and attended the white controlled church where they heard the preacher tell them
that they should be content with their place in the world. However, in secret prayer meetings
and in their spirituals, they placed a strong emphasis on freedom.
33. The plantation system dominated South Carolina society and politics. The strict class system
in South Carolina was based on slavery.
34. The planter elite enjoyed great wealth, social position and political influence as a result of
their dependence on slave labor.
35. What was required of slave owners that made their work very demanding? The
responsibilities for making the plantation work.
36. What did the mistress oversee? The running of the house & caring for sick slaves
37. What reasons did southerners give to justify slavery as being a ‘positive good’? That some
slaves were better cared for than factory workers in the North.
These arguments contributed to the growing sectionalism that divided the nation.