Slavery the Peculiar Institution

1. Slavery the Peculiar Institution Slavery the System The Slave Experience Resistance

2. The Growth of Slavery • Cotton gin makes cotton production profitable. • New territory is being opened for slavery. • Slavery is fundamental to the growth of cotton. • Owning slaves seen as way to economic prosperity.

3. Eli Whitney and Slavery • Inventor of the cotton gin • It will make cotton production efficiently and cost effective which will drive the demand for slaves • Whitney will also introduce a rifle with interchangeable parts which will aid in producing weapons quickly for the American Civil War

4. Anglo Justifications for Slavery • Racial • Blacks are seen as “brutes” and should be controlled • Religious • Bible scripture provides examples of slavery • Scientific • Blacks are inferior to whites • Paternalism • Blacks are being taken care of

5. The Plantation System • Plantations were diverse economically and self sufficient. • Slaves were organized into specialized gangs that performed specific duties. • Productivity was tied to maintaining discipline.

6. Field Slaves • Majority were field slaves and worked dawn to dusk. Some worked under the task system which required slaves to complete a specific job once done they were free to manage own affairs. • Did skilled work like carpentry and ironsmithing and unskilled work like tending the crops. • The women also had to care of their families by cooking, tending house and taking care of the children too! • Masters hired out slaves to perform other duties and keep the slave’s wages.

7. Slaves in the fields

8. House Slaves • Household slaves cooked, cleaned, and nursed the master's children. • Are constantly watched by their masters and mistresses. Had far less privacy than those who worked the fields. • House slaves faced beatings, verbal abuse and sexual assault.

9. House Slaves