THE ANTEBELLUM
SOUTH AND SLAVERY
Chapter 12 and 13
Cotton and the Economy of the South
• Cotton Gin 1793—cotton is king
• Cotton production expanded tremendously
• Other forms of agriculture (tobacco, rice, indigo, wheat) remained but
became secondary to cotton
• Early efforts at trade and industry faded away—South became dependent
on agriculture and cotton (and slave labor) to sustain its economy
• Oligarchic economy and society
• Large plantations and slavery encouraged income inequality and
domination of Southern society by a wealthy elite
• Large plantations could produce goods at a lower cost (economy of scale)
smaller farmers couldn’t compete and were bought out, forced west
• Wealthy landowners dominated the economy, society, and politics of the
South
Slavery and social divisions in the South
• Most white southerners—about 75% did not own any slaves
• Of the 25% of white southerners who did own slaves most owned only a
handful
• About one half of 1% of the Southern white population owned the majority
of slaves in the South
Slavery and Social Divisions in the South (cont.)
• Planter Elite—1-3% of white population
• Top of the social ladder, owned large amounts of slaves, dominated society, politics, and the
economy
• Yeoman Farmers—20-25% of white population
• Middle class
• Independent farmers
• Might own a handful of slaves might not own any
• Poor Whites—70-75% of white population
• Lower class
• Owned no slaves
• Worked on small farms in agriculturally unproductive areas of the South
• Free Blacks—250,000
• Freed slaves, slaves who had purchased their freedom, etc.
• Precarious social and legal standing--had few legal rights, faced discrimination and harassment
• Slaves—4 million
• Other groups
• Mountain whites
• poor/middle class whites living in the Appalachian mountain region
• Despised the planter elite and slaves
• Urban Middle Class
• Lawyers, artisans, skilled professionals
• Owned few slaves
Why slavery?
• Paradox of slavery in the South
• The majority of white southerners were hurt not helped by the slave
system, why would they tolerate it in the South/fight to defend it during
the Civil War and the years leading up to it?
• Economic rationale for slavery
• Slaves were viewed as necessary to sustain the cotton economy of the
South, getting rid of slavery would further hurt the fragile Southern
economy
• Other justifications for slavery
• Bring Christianity and “civilization” to Africans
• Slaves in the South lived better than northern “wage slaves” in factories
• Elimination of slavery would lead to racial violence
Slavery in the South
• Slave trade outlawed in 1808—US slave population was selfsustaining
• Slave owners had an economic incentive to treat slaves somewhat
reasonably—excessive cruelty or violence would damage their
“investment”
• Daily routine
• Physical labor during the daylight hours
• Only a small % of slaves (less than 10%) worked in non-agricultural settings
(domestic servants, some industry)
• Women not only did the physical labor of male slaves but also had to
maintain their households (cook, clean, care for their family, etc)
• Culture and religion
• Fusion of various African and European influences
• Slaves were the target of evangelists during the Second Great Awakening
African Resistance to Slavery
• Passive Resistance
• Intentionally slowing production on plantations
• Sabotaging equipment
• Running away
• Active Resistance: Slave rebellions
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Gabriel’s Rebellion—Virginia 1800
Denmark Vessey (freed black)—Charleston SC 1822
Nat Turner’s Rebellion—Virginia 1831
All slave revolts failed
• Irony of slave revolts
• Led to more restrictions on freed blacks and slaves—prohibition of educating
slaves for example
• Led to harsh backlash against ideas of manumission, emancipation, and
abolitionism
• Made slave owners feel that their way of life was under attack, caused them to
defend slavery even more forcefully than they did before
Abolitionism
• Idea that slavery should be abolished immediately, everywhere
• Causes of abolitionism?
• 2nd Great Awakening
• Abolitionist movements in other countries—especially Great Britain
(abolished slavery 1833-1834)
• Who were the abolitionists?
• Similar to other reforms of the antebellum era—middle class
• Moral abolitionists—middle class (majority of abolitionists)
• Self centered abolitionists—lower class, didn’t want to compete with slave
labor (minority of abolitionists at first)
• African Americans
Abolitionism
• Early abolitionism: American Colonization Society 1817
• Liberia 1822
• Popular during the 1830s and early 1840s
• Problems with this idea?
• Later abolitionism
• William Lloyd Garrison, The Liberator
• American Antislavery Society 1833
• Black Abolitionists
• Frederick Douglass—ex-slave, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
• Sojourner Truth—female ex-slave, worked for women’s rights and abolitionism
• Abolitionist/Anti-slavery Political Parties
• Liberty Party 1840, 1844 elections—mostly anti-slavery Whigs
• Free Soil Party 1848—moral abolitionists, plus self-centered abolitionists
• Republican Party 1854
Responses to Abolitionism (North and South)
• South
• Similar to southern response to slave revolts—led to a backlash against
moderates who wanted to end slavery
• Southern post-masters destroyed abolitionist literature sent in the mail
• Abolitionists attacked, blamed for encouraging slave revolts
• North
• Most northerners were NOT abolitionists
• Garrison, Douglass, Truth all attacked by angry mobs in the North, Elijah
Lovejoy attacked and killed 1837
• Why hostility to abolitionism in the North?
• Economic ties to the South and slavery
• Racism
• Feared competition with freed blacks—especially among poor immigrants (Irish)