Chapter 8: Regional Societies

1. Chapter 8: Regional Societies Section 3: The Slave System Pages: 271-279

2. The Slave System • SOUTHERNERS AND SLAVERY (271) • As cotton plantations spread throughout the South, the number of slaves in the South also grew – from half a million in 1790 to nearly 4 million in 1860 • Although slave labor formed the foundation of the southern economy, some southerners, particularly those in the Upper South, criticized slavery • A few argued that an economy based on plantation agriculture and slavery was less profitable than one based on wage labor and industry • Some southerners criticized slavery as incompatible with liberty and freedom – why we fought the Revolutionary War

3. The Slave System • SOUTHERNERS AND SLAVERY (271) • SLAVERY SUPPORTERS • Supporters of slavery were more numerous than those who were against it in the South • Planters argued that slavery was the only way to ensure an adequate supply of field-workers for southern cash crops • Slavery’s defenders also insisted that planters helped slaves by providing care in sickness and old ages, as well as clothing, food, and shelter

4. The Slave System • SLAVE LABOR (272) • More than 75% of enslaved African Americans worked on plantations and farms • The lives of slaves in the cities were generally less grim than those of field hands • Most field hands worked from dawn to dusk and beyond – as many as 18 to 20 hours per day during the harvest time • Women served the plantation household as cooks, maids and nannies. Others did sewing and laundry • Some male slaves worked as blacksmiths, carpenters, coach drivers, or gardeners

5. The Slave System • SLAVE LABOR (272) • On small farms, slaveholders usually supervised their salves directly. • On larger plantations, OVERSEERS – who were usually small farmers, skilled workers, or planters’ younger sons or other relatives – managed the slaves • To help supervise the slaves, overseers used drivers – assistants picked from among the slaves. Drivers occupied a difficult position between owner and slave. • A driver might be praised by the owner for a job well done, but despised by slaves for working them too hard

6. The Slave System • SLAVE LABOR (272) • Gang labor – slaves were organized into work crews with drivers as foremen • This system of gang labor allowed overseers to assign groups of slaves to do specialized jobs, such as hoeing, picking, or plowing

7. The Slave System • SLAVE LIFE (272-273) • Slaves lives depended on that of their owners • Slaves had little say in what happened to themselves or their families

8. The Slave System • SLAVE LIFE (272-273) • Housing and Diet (272-273) • Slave quarters were cramped and sparsely furnished. • A family might live in a one-room log cabin with no comforts other than a fireplace • In such homes, an observer noted, “the wind and rain will come in and the smoke will not go out.”

9. The Slave System • SLAVE LIFE (272-273) • Housing and Diet (272-273) • The food given to the slaves were rarely enough to last a week. • To supplement their diet the slaves hunted and fished at night or on Sundays and grew greens or sweet potatoes in small gardens • House slaves sometimes received food from the planter’s kitchen. • Many slaves also stole food when they did not get enough to eat • Slaves clothing was simple – it was usually made of linsey-woolsey, a coarse woolen and linen or cotton material similar to burlap • This cloth, said one former Virginia slave, “was just like needles when it was new. Never did have to scratch our back. Just wiggle your shoulders and your back was scratched.”

10. The Slave System • SLAVE LFE (272-273) • Treatment of slaves (273) • Slaves’ treatment varied from plantation to plantation • Some planters used rewards to gain their slaves’ obedience • These included the promise of money, gifts, extra food or clothing, easier tasks, dances, days off, or shorter working hours • Some may be granted small favors, given a plot, or moved from fields to work in the house

11. SLAVE LFE (272-273) • Treatment of slaves (273) • Other slaveholders relied on the use of threat of violence to control their slaves • If slaves were late getting to the fields or did not work fast enough, overseers could be brutal. • Sweat box: a harsh form of solitary confinement. “The box was made the height of the person and no larger…the box was nailed, and in summer is put in the hot sun; in winter it is put in the coldest, dampest place.” • Whipping was the most common form of punishment. • If discipline failed, slaves could be sold “down river” – away from the slaves family and community ties. Slave children were often sold away from their families. • Slaveholders might even separate a married couple.

12. The Slave System • SLAVE CULTURE: (274-276) • Slaves lives were controlled from sunrise to sunset. However, after dark and on Sundays and rare holidays, slaves could devote their time to family and community • Slaves created a unique African American culture • This culture blended customs drawn from the variety of African groups thrown together under slavery as well as from their new cultural experiences in the United States

13. The Slave System • SLAVE CULTURE (274-276) • Family Bonds: (274) • Slave families constantly faced the risk of the sale of individual members. • For example, Charles Ball lost nearly all his family to slave traders and was himself sold or hired out more than half a dozen times. • Some literate slaves kept in touch with their separated family members through letters

14. The Slave System • SLAVE CULTURE (274-276) • Oral history, folktales, and humor (274) • Most slaves were not allowed to read. So, the spoken word was therefore very important, particularly for maintaining links to the past • Slaves used tales to relate their family histories • Many slaves told their family members about Africa • Slaves also told folktales to preserve and pass on their culture • Storytelling, particularly the use of animal trickster tales, gave African Americans a way of talking about slaveholders and slavery in a guarded form • Humor helped slaves deal with painful situations • The ability to maintain hope in the face of overwhelming abuse was an important survival technique for slaves. • However, white southerners often misinterpreted the laughter as a sign that the slaves were happy with their situation

15. The Slave System • SLAVE CULTURE (274-276) • Music and Folk Art: (275-276) • Music played an important role in the lives of the slaves • Slaves used music as a way to escape the pain of their lives as well as to express their feelings and thoughts • Slaves’ songs also chronicled their daily experiences; they told of work, criticized white society, and protested bondage • Slaves also expressed themselves through folk art such as woodcarvings and pottery

16. The Slave System • SLAVE RELIGION: (276) • Religion played an important role in the lives of the slaves • Religion was a blend of Christian elements and traditional African beliefs, dance, and music • Slaves believed they were “God’s People” • Like the ancient Hebrew slaves in Egypt, they would eventually reach a “promised land” free from their oppressors. • The slaves promised land was not just an afterlife in Heaven. It was also a world without slavery.

17. The Slave System • SLAVE RELIGION: (276) • White southerners often censored African American ministers, most of whom were slaves • When slaveholders, fearful of rebellions, forbade slaves from congregating, even for religious meetings, enslaved African Americans continued to hold secret gatherings in the woods. • Spirituals – were haunting songs that were of great importance to slave religion • Rich in biblical lore, these songs of sorrow were sung during relaxation, work, and worship • Spirituals movingly expressed the slaves’ deep longing for freedom.

18. The Slave System • REBELLION AND RESISTANCE (277-279) • African slaves found many ways to resist slavery • SLAVE REVOLTS (277) • In 1800, Gabriel Prosser led a rebellion near Richmond, Virginia, involving hundreds of slaves • Denmark Vesey, a prosperous, free African American carpenter and preacher, called for a massive slave uprising in Charleston, South Carolina, and the surrounding areas. The plan was discovered before it could be carried out. Vesey and the other leaders were tried and executed. • It nevertheless struck terror into the hearts of white southerners, who destroyed the records of the trial, afraid the other slaves might see it.

19. The Slave System • REBELLION AND RESISTANCE (277-279) • SLAVE REVOLTS (277) • White southerners’ worst fears materialized in 1831, when Nat Turner led a violent slave uprising in Southampton County, Virginia • Turner believed that God had chosen him to free the slaves • On August 21, Turner and a small band of followers took action. They killed Turner’s owner and about 60 other whites in the area. • The state militia and terrified white locals organized a hunt for Turner. They killed at least 100 slaves during the two months that it took to track him down. • After being captured at his hideout in a cave, the fugitive was brought to trial. • Asked why he refused to plead guilty, Turner replied, “Because I don’t feel guilty.” • He was hanged on November 11, 1831

20. The Slave System • REBELLION AND RESISTANCE (277-279) • SLAVE REVOLTS (277) • Following the Slave uprisings, some southern states passed stricter slave codes. These laws made it illegal to teach slaves to read and placed increased restrictions on slaves’ movements. • Some white southerners took the law into their own hands, arresting, beating, and killing slaves at will

21. The Slave System • REBELLION AND RESISTANCE (277-279) • Slave Resistance: (278-279) • Violent, organized rebellion was rare, but slaves constantly protested their bondage with individual actions • Fake an illness • Slow their work pace • Damage tools • Set fire to barns • These methods of resistance forced some owners to rule their slaves less strictly • In some instances, slaveholders simply hired out or sold a “difficult” slave

22. The Slave System • REBELLION AND RESISTANCE (277-279) • Slave Resistance: (278-279) • The most tempting form of resistance to slavery was to run away. • Many slaves stayed away for a short period – from a few days to several weeks – in order to deprive the planter of their work • Some slaves also escaped from the plantation to reunite with their families living on other farms • Others ran away in hopes of securing their freedom in the North • Chances of success were slim, and punishment, if caught, would be brutal

23. The Slave System • REBELLION AND RESISTANCE (277-279) • Slave Resistance: (278-279) • Some assistance came from the Underground Railroad – a network of white and African American abolitionists who helped slaves escape to freedom in the North or in Canada • The conductors, those who helped the slaves escape, was led by Harriet Tubman • Harriet Tubman was the most famous and successful conductor

24. The Slave System • REBELLION AND RESISTANCE (277-279) • Slave Resistance: (278-279) • Harriet Tubman: made at least 19 trips back to the South and led more than 300 slaves, including her parents to safety. • Despite a bounty of $40,000 placed on her, Tubman was never captured and she never lost a “passenger.” • When not acting as a conductor, she worked as a cook and spoke at antislavery meetings. • Despite the daring of the slaves and those who aided them, many fugitives were captured and returned to their masters. Still, the stream of runaways continued

25. THE END