slavery
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Introduction
Eli Whitney's machine transformed Southern agriculture. In each decade after 1800, cotton production doubled. At the same time, the Industrial Revolution brought textile mills to the North and to England, multiplying the demand for cotton. By 1850, the South was growing 75% of the world's cotton and exporting most of it to the Northern states and to England.
Small farmers became plantation owners; plantation owners made their fortunes. If cotton was king, the Southern planters saw themselves as aristocrats, members of King Cotton's royal court. No lady was more elegant than a Southern belle, no gentleman more gallant than a Southern gentleman. A new, leisurely lifestyle developed, as described years later by a Southern doctor: "And if fate left us good wine, good dinners, fine horses, and money enough to go abroad every summer, we asked no more of gods or men."
Built on Slavery
Large cotton plantations depended on slave labor. As cotton cultivation increased, so did the importance of slavery. Slaves planted, cultivated, and picked cotton. Once the cotton was picked, it went through the cotton gin for cleaning.
Solomon Northup was a free man living in New York in 1841. He was kidnapped and sold into slavery in Louisiana. In later years, he described the condition of slaves:
The hands are required to be in the cotton field as soon as it is light in the morning, and, with the exception of ten or fifteen minutes, which is given them at noon to swallow their allowance of cold bacon, they are not permitted to be a moment idle until it is too dark to see, and when the moon is full, they often times labor till the middle of the night. They do not dare to stop even at dinner time, nor return to the quarters, however late it be until the order to halt is given by the driver. The day's work over in the field, the baskets are "toted," or in other words, carried to the gin-house, where the cotton is weighed. No matter how fatigued and weary he may be—no matter how much he longs for sleep and rest—a slave never approaches the gin-house with his basket of cotton but with fear. If it falls short in weight—if he has not performed the full task appointed of him, he knows that he must suffer. And if he has exceeded it by ten or twenty pounds, in all probability his master will measure the next day's task accordingly. So, whether he has too little or too much, his approach to the gin-house is always with fear and trembling.
Eli Whitney's machine transformed Southern agriculture. In each decade after 1800, cotton production doubled. At the same time, the Industrial Revolution brought textile mills to the North and to England, multiplying the demand for cotton. By 1850, the South was growing 75% of the world's cotton and exporting most of it to the Northern states and to England.
Small farmers became plantation owners; plantation owners made their fortunes. If cotton was king, the Southern planters saw themselves as aristocrats, members of King Cotton's royal court. No lady was more elegant than a Southern belle, no gentleman more gallant than a Southern gentleman. A new, leisurely lifestyle developed, as described years later by a Southern doctor: "And if fate left us good wine, good dinners, fine horses, and money enough to go abroad every summer, we asked no more of gods or men."
Built on Slavery
Large cotton plantations depended on slave labor. As cotton cultivation increased, so did the importance of slavery. Slaves planted, cultivated, and picked cotton. Once the cotton was picked, it went through the cotton gin for cleaning.
Solomon Northup was a free man living in New York in 1841. He was kidnapped and sold into slavery in Louisiana. In later years, he described the condition of slaves:
The hands are required to be in the cotton field as soon as it is light in the morning, and, with the exception of ten or fifteen minutes, which is given them at noon to swallow their allowance of cold bacon, they are not permitted to be a moment idle until it is too dark to see, and when the moon is full, they often times labor till the middle of the night. They do not dare to stop even at dinner time, nor return to the quarters, however late it be until the order to halt is given by the driver. The day's work over in the field, the baskets are "toted," or in other words, carried to the gin-house, where the cotton is weighed. No matter how fatigued and weary he may be—no matter how much he longs for sleep and rest—a slave never approaches the gin-house with his basket of cotton but with fear. If it falls short in weight—if he has not performed the full task appointed of him, he knows that he must suffer. And if he has exceeded it by ten or twenty pounds, in all probability his master will measure the next day's task accordingly. So, whether he has too little or too much, his approach to the gin-house is always with fear and trembling.
>>> 12 Years a Slave was an award winning movie adapted from the actual memoirs (writings) of Solomon Northup mentioned above. We can't watch the movie in class, but take a look at the trailer. After reading his account above, you can get a small glimpse of the hardships he endured. |
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Rebellion
Despite the universal repression, slaves rebelled, both in small, daily acts and in organized military actions, like those led at different times and in different places by Gabriel, Denmark Vesey, and Nat Turner. Nat Turner was a religious and intelligent slave who led the most violent slave revolt in American history. Spurred on by a belief that he alone could eradicate slavery and act as the instrument of God's vengeance, Turner recruited dozens of slaves to his cause. In the early morning hours of August 22, Turner and six of his co-conspirators entered the Travis house and murdered all of the occupants (Travis, his wife, and three children), mostly by beheading them. The group then continued on to other plantations in the area, their ranks growing with every passing hour. They spared no whites, regardless of gender or age. Apparently, Turner's plan was to terrorize residents between the Travis plantation and the small town of Jerusalem, 10 miles north. After capturing Jerusalem, killing the inhabitants, and gathering supplies, the insurrectionists would travel south to the Dismal Swamp, a wild forest area in North Carolina. His long-term plans after the retreat to Dismal Swamp are unknown.
By the time Turner and his men reached Jerusalem the morning after their attack, their ranks had swollen to about 60 African-American men, all armed and many on horseback. They had killed in the course of the night almost 55 whites, mostly women and children. By morning, however, the warning had been sounded among the white community, and armed white men from the community greeted them on the outskirts of Jerusalem. After a brief skirmish in which many of the rebelling slaves were killed or captured, the rest of Turner's force dispersed. Turner himself fled and went into hiding. Despite a vigorous manhunt for him, Turner remained at large for two months and was finally captured on October 30. On November 5, he was tried and convicted for murder. Although Nat Turner's Rebellion(as the event came to be called) failed, it sparked widespread Southern fears regarding the complacency of slaves and the viability of the institution.
Life as a Slave
Living conditions for slaves were hard, with long work hours and little material comfort. Few masters recognized the sanctity of the slave family and sold off children from their parents, or vice versa, as they pleased. Slave marriages were not recognized by any white institutions either legal or religious, and masters, rather than slave parents, had the ultimate power to discipline slave children. Nevertheless, historians have recently conjectured that slave families did exist and managed to exert a tremendous influence on African-American life while avoiding the watchful eyes of white overlords.
Slaves were subject to harsh punishment for even minor offenses, depending on the character and temperament of each individual master. The relatively high purchase price for slaves did not protect them from mistreatment. If a master chose, he could even murder his slaves with impunity, although it would mark a significant financial loss for him if he did so. Whippings and beatings were not uncommon, however, and some masters became adept at inflicting physical punishments on their slaves that did not hinder their ability to work.
Religion, in fact, was a pillar of African-American life during this period. Whites had long boasted that slavery allowed them an opportunity to Christianize African "heathens," and many whites actively encouraged the spread of religion among slaves, pushing in particular Biblical injunctions for slaves to obey their masters and accept their condition in life. As with other aspects of slave culture, African Americans accepted Christianity but modified it, combining with it some aspects of traditional African religions. Because slaves were prohibited by law from learning how to read or write, slave preachers played a particularly important role in African-American religion and were often the center of slave communities.
Slaves were not the only oppressed group in the South. Native Americans, from the Creeks of Alabama to the Cherokees of Georgia to the Seminoles of Florida, were driven from their homes and robbed of their lands as the cotton gin and short-staple cotton made those lands valuable to European Americans. Driving the need to gain more land, the cotton crop led to westward expansion, which started in the South with a desire for more cotton land. Cotton was undeniably King in the South, but its reign was cruel, barbarous, and ultimately doomed.
Despite the universal repression, slaves rebelled, both in small, daily acts and in organized military actions, like those led at different times and in different places by Gabriel, Denmark Vesey, and Nat Turner. Nat Turner was a religious and intelligent slave who led the most violent slave revolt in American history. Spurred on by a belief that he alone could eradicate slavery and act as the instrument of God's vengeance, Turner recruited dozens of slaves to his cause. In the early morning hours of August 22, Turner and six of his co-conspirators entered the Travis house and murdered all of the occupants (Travis, his wife, and three children), mostly by beheading them. The group then continued on to other plantations in the area, their ranks growing with every passing hour. They spared no whites, regardless of gender or age. Apparently, Turner's plan was to terrorize residents between the Travis plantation and the small town of Jerusalem, 10 miles north. After capturing Jerusalem, killing the inhabitants, and gathering supplies, the insurrectionists would travel south to the Dismal Swamp, a wild forest area in North Carolina. His long-term plans after the retreat to Dismal Swamp are unknown.
By the time Turner and his men reached Jerusalem the morning after their attack, their ranks had swollen to about 60 African-American men, all armed and many on horseback. They had killed in the course of the night almost 55 whites, mostly women and children. By morning, however, the warning had been sounded among the white community, and armed white men from the community greeted them on the outskirts of Jerusalem. After a brief skirmish in which many of the rebelling slaves were killed or captured, the rest of Turner's force dispersed. Turner himself fled and went into hiding. Despite a vigorous manhunt for him, Turner remained at large for two months and was finally captured on October 30. On November 5, he was tried and convicted for murder. Although Nat Turner's Rebellion(as the event came to be called) failed, it sparked widespread Southern fears regarding the complacency of slaves and the viability of the institution.
Life as a Slave
Living conditions for slaves were hard, with long work hours and little material comfort. Few masters recognized the sanctity of the slave family and sold off children from their parents, or vice versa, as they pleased. Slave marriages were not recognized by any white institutions either legal or religious, and masters, rather than slave parents, had the ultimate power to discipline slave children. Nevertheless, historians have recently conjectured that slave families did exist and managed to exert a tremendous influence on African-American life while avoiding the watchful eyes of white overlords.
Slaves were subject to harsh punishment for even minor offenses, depending on the character and temperament of each individual master. The relatively high purchase price for slaves did not protect them from mistreatment. If a master chose, he could even murder his slaves with impunity, although it would mark a significant financial loss for him if he did so. Whippings and beatings were not uncommon, however, and some masters became adept at inflicting physical punishments on their slaves that did not hinder their ability to work.
Religion, in fact, was a pillar of African-American life during this period. Whites had long boasted that slavery allowed them an opportunity to Christianize African "heathens," and many whites actively encouraged the spread of religion among slaves, pushing in particular Biblical injunctions for slaves to obey their masters and accept their condition in life. As with other aspects of slave culture, African Americans accepted Christianity but modified it, combining with it some aspects of traditional African religions. Because slaves were prohibited by law from learning how to read or write, slave preachers played a particularly important role in African-American religion and were often the center of slave communities.
Slaves were not the only oppressed group in the South. Native Americans, from the Creeks of Alabama to the Cherokees of Georgia to the Seminoles of Florida, were driven from their homes and robbed of their lands as the cotton gin and short-staple cotton made those lands valuable to European Americans. Driving the need to gain more land, the cotton crop led to westward expansion, which started in the South with a desire for more cotton land. Cotton was undeniably King in the South, but its reign was cruel, barbarous, and ultimately doomed.