AP US History

1. AP US History Chapter 9: The Old South, 1790-1850

2. The Southeast • The Chesapeake region was one of plantation farms • Main crop was tobacco, but eventually, the soil was destroyed, driving many to move to Kentucky or Tennessee • Began to grow corn, wheat, and raise livestock after tobacco profits fell • As the economy diversified, so did labor for slaves • Men still tended to fields and farm work • Women did many things, such as housemaids, candlemaking, sewing, etc. • The Lowcountry of Georgia and South Carolina expanded slavery into rice production • Very labor intensive • Used the task system to employ slaves, assigning a task to individuals

3. The Deep South and “King Cotton” • Cotton was a very labor intensive, unprofitable, but important, crop prior to the 1790s • Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin in 1793, which separated the cotton from the sticky seeds • Slaves that could clean one pound a day were now able to clean 50 pounds • Rather than using less slaves, more slaves were employed to grow more cotton, thus making more profit • After the War of 1812, widespread cotton cultivation occurred throughout the South • International slave trade ended in 1808, but interstate slave trade rapidly increased • Southern cotton plantations employed gang labor • Groups of slaves worked under an overseer growing cotton only • Worked long hours, did not enjoy any free time like those under the task system

4. The Yeoman Farmer • Only about 1/3 of whites in the south owned slaves by 1830, with the number decreasing more as time progressed • Cotton was not profitable on small farms • Most were too poor to buy slaves or good farmland • Yeoman farmers grew livestock and produced small plots that mostly provided for the family • Yeoman farmers lived in tight-knit neighborhoods • Depended on each other to provide basic needs • Debts were paid back through goods or labor • Lived without most luxuries

5. Slave/Master Relations • The plantation was only as successful as the relationship between the slaves and master • Rules were strict and the master was the ultimate authority • However, there was some give and take to give incentive to produce • Slaves lived in tight-knit family communities, but often were broken apart during slave auctions • Threat of sale was used often to encourage obedience • Marriages were respected by masters, but not by law • Slaves created their own customs, culture and religion • Religion blended old African traditions with modern practices • Gave slaves a sense of historical belonging

6. Slave Revolts • Rebellion and escape attempts common, but some outright revolts also occurred amongst the slave population • Gabriel’s Revolt • Led by a slave blacksmith named Gabriel • Planned to united slaves to overtake the city of Richmond • Weather and slave betrayal ended the rebellion • Denmark Vesey’s Revolt, 1822 • Slaves would take the city of Charleston, SC • Ships would be taken and the escape would be on • Slave betrayal foiled the plot • Nat Turner Revolt, 1831 • Nat Turner, a preacher, had a vision of leading a slave revolt • Killed 55 whites in the process • Eventually, the revolt was put down, but scared whites

7. Slavery and the Southern Economy • By 1860, slavery was the economy of the South • The South did not industrialize like the North • Did not take advantage of new technology • Relied on goods from within the South, did not purchase many goods from the North or abroad • Internal improvements were slow or non-existent • Railroad mileage much less than that of the North • Relied heavily on riverboats floated downstream from the North