The Old South

1. The Old South The Social Structure of the Cotton Kingdom The stunning mansions of the Old South belied the “peculiar institution” they were based upon.

2. Senator James Henry Hammond, who proclaimed “Cotton is King.” • Cotton pushes westward—(long-staple cotton, Eli Whitney’s “en-gin”) the “black belt region, ” “Alabama Fever,” then “Gone to Texas” • Southern prosperity—3/4’s in world; “King Cotton” masked economic problems • Environmental impact of single-crop agriculture—crop exhaustion, erosion, diseases in “sickly summer months” evaded by the wealthy; Upper South converts to grains • Slave trade—Upper to Lower South; 1850s prime field hand: $1500

3. Slave quarters were out of sight, providing the bare necessities and little more. • Lack of manufacturing—cotton too profitable for manufacturing? • Absence of cities—New Orleans, and that’s about it; education disregarded • Slave occupations—domestic vs. field hands • Profitability of slavery—60% margin or better • Slavery and aristocratic values—putting on airs of English landed gentry, criticized by North, Europe Tredegar Iron Works, one of the few heavy industrial enterprises in the South.

4. Class Structure of the White South • Plantation administration—smaller and several better; overseers, drivers • Tidewater society—“Old South,” upper crust, refined • Society in the cotton kingdom—hard-charging entrepreneurs, self-made • Slaveholders’ values— “Time is money,” slaves capital: maximize profits, cut costs • Paternalism—Master is father to all?: personal ties to “Good ol’ Massa!”???? • Mistress’s duties—tougher than it looked • Miscegenation—double standard, but women played along; slaves became a mixed race A cartoonist makes fun of the idea of races mixing

5. Farmers and herders—yeomen with a certain dignity • Limits to economic opportunity--couldn’t compete with plantations • Absence of class conflict—You can only hope that one day…. • Lives of poor whites—illiterate, malnourished, disease-ridden, but free, and better than free blacks and slaves • Relations with planters— “white trash” hated both plantation masters and slaves • END OF READING

6. The Peculiar Institution • Slavery and race—no white slaves; race makes it permissible? • Organization of slave labor—house to driver to field slave; gang vs. task • Slave’s workday—can’t see to can’t see; benefits and punishment • Clothing and housing—profit margin meant bare necessities • Slaves’ lower life expectancy—infant mortality double; then, eight years less • Slave revolts in Latin America—Haiti and Toussaint L’Ouverture;Jamaica, like clockwork • Infrequency of revolts in the United States—circumstances different: populations, government, family ties

7. Nat Turner tells his co-conspirators Harry, Hark, Nelson, and Sam that the recent eclipse of the sun is a sign that the insurrection he saw in visions of black angels attacking white angels should begin. • Nat Turner’s rebellion —Aftermath: who can you trust? Nat Turner is captured after weeks of hiding out after the rebellion. Nat Turner was tried in the Southampton County Court and sentenced to execution. He was hanged and then skinned, on November 11, 1831.

8. Day-to-day resistance—run away, shirk, sabotage, STEAL • Slave’s hidden feelings—impenetrable mask; “Yes, Massa” Slave Culture • Breakup of families—usual occurrence • Family ties in slavery—why would it be strong? • Gender roles—mimicked white society • Protest and celebration—songs expressed existence • Folktales—Brer Rabbit (slave’s perspective) • Slave religion—master Christianity vs. slave Christianity • Slave spirituals—one of few opportunities for open expression • Hierarchy—slave, master, and color conferred

9. Southern Society and the Defense of Slavery • Significance of the Virginia debate—last discussion, dead subject • Religious arguments—Biblical, “curse of Canaan” • Social and racial arguments—intellectually and emotionally inferior?; better lives than factory workers? • Economics and party affiliation—South like North: bigwigs, Whigs, and small fry, Democrats • Forces of national unity—similar beliefs north and south: materialism, Protestantism, and democratic equality