Chapter 11 Section 3
“The Plantation South”
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Focus Question: How did cotton affect the social
and economic life of the South?
The Cotton Kingdom
*North – became more urban and industrialized
South – remained largely rural
*Life changed in South because
1. Industrial Revolution caused huge demand
for cotton
2. Cotton gin allowed the South to satisfy the
large demand for cotton.
The Cotton Gin
*1793 – Eli Whitney invented cotton gin (short for
“cotton engine”). It used a spiked cylinder to
remove seeds from cotton fibers and speeded the
processing of cotton.
*Before cotton gin – pick out seeds by hand (1
lb/day); with cotton gin – process 50 lbs/day so
cotton growing became far more profitable.
Slave labor
*To grow more cotton, planters used more slaves.
1790 – 698,000 slaves
1860 – almost 4 million slaves
During this time, the price of a slave increased 10
to 20 times.
*Cotton became greatest source of wealth for US.
South – enriched planters
North – enriched bankers and shipowners
*1790 – 1.5 million lbs. of cotton grown
1820 - 10 times more cotton grown
*Some states (AL, MS) depended on cotton and
used many slaves whereas other states (KY)
depended less on cotton and had fewer slaves.
*Small but wealthy group of plantation owners
dominated the “Cotton Kingdom.” More than half
of southern farmers did not have slaves; they grew
corn and raised hogs and chickens.
Defending Slavery
*Most southern whites accepted the system of
slavery. Many feared that any weakening of
controls over African Americans might encourage
violent uprisings.
*By 1830s – some northern whites were urging
slavery be banned. As a result, southern whites
reinforced their support for slavery.
*Pro-slavery = slavery was more humane than the
free labor system of the North; northern factory
workers worried about unemployment but
enslaved African Americans did not worry about
unemployment.
*Anti-slavery = argued that northern workers
were free to quit jobs if conditions too harsh;
slaves often suffered abuse from owners; freedom!
African Americans in the South
*4 million slaves in South but about 253,000 (6%)
were free. Few slaves did well.
Restrictions on Free African Americans
*Laws denied rights to enslaved and free Africans
Americans. They got the worst jobs and could not
vote, serve on juries, or testify against white
defendants in court. Their children could not
attend schools.
*Free African Americans could be captured by
slave catchers and sold into slavery.
*Norbert Rillieux (African American) – method of
refining sugar made the process faster, safer, and
less costly.
*Henry Blair (Af. Am.) – seed-planting device that
reduced the time a farmer spent planting crops.
Life Under Slavery
*Slaves codes – laws that controlled every aspect
of their lives.
*Slaves became skilled workers, housekeepers,
butlers, nannies, and house servants. They kept
the plantations operating smoothly.
*Most slaves did farm labor. The slaveholders
stopped just short of working the slaves to death.
*The only advantage slaves had is slaveholders
needed to keep them healthy and productive.
Many slave families were broken apart when
members were sold.
*After 1808 – it was illegal to import slaves.
African Americans had little direct contact with
Africa.
*African customs, music, and dance survived and
were passed from one generation to the next.
African Americans found hope in the Bible and
made spirituals (religious folk songs that blended
biblical themes with the realities of slavery.
Resistance to Slavery
*Slaves tried to resist slaveholders. They worked
slowly or pretended not to understand what they
were told to do. They broke farm equipment.
Some fled north to freedom.
*Nat Turner led a slave revolt in 1831. Turner
said he had a vision that told him to kill whites. He
and others killed about 60 whites. In retaliation,
many innocent African Americans were executed.
Review Questions
*How widespread was slave ownership?
Fewer than half of white southerners owned
slaves.
*How did enslaved African Americans adapt to
slavery and resist it?
Many adapted to slavery by finding support in the
Bible, African customs, and music. Some worked
slowly or badly on purpose, some turned to
violence, and some escaped.