Chris Laigaard, Richard Velde
SS 350
Lesson Plan 3
The Southern Perspective
I. Focus Statement
The Civil War is undoubtedly one of the biggest conflicts that has occurred in American
history. Unfortunately due to the fact that slavery is one of the bigger reasons why the South
seceded and due to the fact that they lost their version of the story is often not told or barely
discussed. This is a shame because it offers us as teachers a good opportunity to help our
students develop historical empathy. The south justified slavery in a number of different ways.
One way was that the Bible talks about slavery in it and even has a passage that discusses how
slaves should be treated. People at the time (especially Southerners) were deeply religious so the
fact that the Bible does not dismiss or condemn would signal to some of those people that
slavery is ok. Another reason that southerners used to justify slavery is the fact that they had a
paternalistic attitude towards them. Many of the wealthier planation owners felt like they were
actually taking care of their slaves by providing them with a roof over their head and food in
their stomach and often felt like they were “saving” them from the “barbarism” that they would
have lived in had they never been taken from Africa. Slave owners also used economics to aid
their argument. One of their arguments is that if slavery was taken away from them they would
not be able to make money off of cotton for it to be profitable, having to pay people to do the
labor and larger plantation would no longer be an option and that fewer farms would drive prices
up because they would have to drive up the price in order to compensate for the labor wages and
crop yield (keeping in mind that economics was not as established of a science as it is now).
Another reason that southerners used to justify slavery is that most of the horror stories than
northerners heard were not the norm, less than one percent of the southern population. The
majority of slave owners owned less than ten slaves and often worked in the fields alongside
their slaves.
At the end of the lesson students will be able to identify two of the arguments that
southerners used to justify slavery. They will also be able to analyze a personal account of a
slave owner and identify his personal views and biases. The disciplinary concept that is most
used in this lesson is Empathy. Empathy is being used because we are making an attempt to help
our students see the southern perspective of slavery
II. Vital Theme and Narrative
Values, beliefs, political ideas, and institutions
III. Habit of Mind
Perceive past events and issues as they were experienced by people at the time, to
develop historical empathy as opposed to present mindedness
IV. Disciplinary Concept
Empathy
V. Objectives
Students will be to identify two the reasons that southerners used to justify the institution
of slavery. They will also be able to analyze a personal account of a slave owner and identify his
personal views and biases.
VI. Learning Standards
Indiana Standards
8.1.20- Analyze the causes and effects of events leading up to the Civil War,
including development of sectional conflict over slavery
Common Core
6-8.6- Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author’s point of view or purpose
VII. Central Question
How did the South justify the institution of slavery and what were their reasons for
attempting to leave the Union?
VIII. Procedure
A. Beginning (7 minutes)
Candy bars will be distributed amongst the students. A couple students will
receive a handful and the rest will receive two. The students with the handfuls are wealthy
individual while the others are representative of the average person. There are reports that the
student with the handful is mean to their candy bars, they smash them, keep them in their warm
pockets all day throw them against the wall. One of that students candy bars is unhappy with
this and decides to run away to the chocolate lover side of the room because he hears they are
nicer to their candy bars. The teacher is appalled at the actions of the “large candy bar owner”
and begins to demand that the sweet tooth side give up their candy bars. The sweet tooth side
does not like this because they worked hard and paid good money for their candy bars.
Meanwhile, some of the other candy bars hear about the fact the candy bars are safe on the
chocolate lovers’ side and they begin to run away as well. At this point the teacher should ask
the chocolate owners side how they feel about the fact that their chocolate is running away and
that chocolate lovers want to take away their chocolate from them (ask a couple students). One
justification was that not every slave was part of a plantation, that was in fact the minority. Most
slave owners worked alongside their slaves and many were not as abused as what we hear. The
bible also addresses slavery and the religious southerners also used this as justification
B. Middle (approximately 3 minutes)
Put the maps on the document cam. Ask students what similarities and
differences they see in the two maps (look for comments about heavy slave populations in South
Carolina and the western South and how the western portion has a strong correlation between
slaves and cotton production). Once those points have been “discovered” move into the
economic justification of slavery. Start with the math problem example ($100 is what I made
this year. But if I have to pay $X and $X I now didn't make nearly as much money. The bible
also addresses slavery and the religious southerners also used this as justification.
C. End (approximately 10 minutes)
Give students the Fitzhuegh analysis guide. The plan is for this to take up the rest
of class, however if students all get done before the end be prepared to present additional
argument about southern justification of slavery (bible and southerners being deeply religious
and the “it doesn’t make sense to bruise you horse” example). More than likely not all students
will have finished the analysis guide by the end of the period
IX. Assessment
The analysis guide will serve as the assessment for this lesson
X. Sources, Material, and Accommodation
A. Document Cam
1. Map of southern cotton production
(http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=cotton+production+map+in+the+south&FORM=HDRS
C2#view=detail&id=114D3B418FB5AEDED2F224640EBC929044AF0B84&selectedIndex=1)
2. Map of southern slave distribution
(http://www.bowdoin.edu/~prael/branch/ex1/m2-slave-conc.jpg)
B. Student Sources
1. George Fitzhugh reading and analysis guide
(http://americainclass.org/a-pro-slavery-argument/)
C. Teacher Sources
1. HIST 407 lecture notes from Dr. Etcheson
Cannibals All! Or Slaves Without Their Masters – 1857
George Fitzhugh
The negro slaves of the South are the happiest, and, in some sense, the freest people in the world.
Their children and aged and infirm work not at all, and yet have all the comforts and necessaries
of life provided for them. They enjoy liberty, because they are oppressed neither by care nor
labor. The women do little hard work, and are protected from the despotism [unjust and cruel
authority] of their husbands by their masters. The negro men and stout boys work, on the average,
in good weather, not more than nine hours a day. The balance of their time is spent in perfect
abandon. Besides, they have their Sabbaths and holidays. White men, with so much of license
and liberty, would die of ennui [boredom]; but negroes luxuriate in corporeal [bodily] and
mental repose. With their faces upturned to the sun, they can sleep at any hour; and quiet sleep is
the greatest of human enjoyments. “Blessed be the man who invented sleep.” ‘Tis happiness in
itself – and results from contentment with the present, and confident assurance of the future. We
do not know whether free laborers ever sleep. They are fools to do so; for, whilst they sleep, the
wily and watchful capitalist is devising means to ensnare and exploit hem. The free laborer must
work or starve. He is more of a slave than the negro, because he works longer and harder for less
allowance than the slave, and has no holiday, because the cares of life with him begin when its
labors end. He has no liberty, and not a single right.
Name:________________________________________________________Date:____________
__________
Analysis Guide: George Fitzhugh Sources
Instructions: Read both excerpts from the George Fitzhugh handout and then answer the
questions as thoroughly as possible.
1) What words, or phrases, in the George Fitzhugh handout did you find
to be pro-slave or even racist?
2) What are Fitzhugh’s overall views toward African Americans in the
South and his overall views toward the institution of slavery?
3) How does Fitzhugh’s view of slavery compare to that of most
Southerners and their views of the “Southern Perspective”? (Hint: Use
information from class.)