Journal # 35

1. Journal #35 • Cotton belt – the area where cotton was grown; from South Carolina to east Texas • Planters – large-scale farmers who held more than 20 slaves (a very small percentage of farmers in the South were planters) • Yeomen – owners of small farms (the majority of white farmers in the South) • Discrimination – an act based upon prejudice

2. Quotes of the Day • “A person who won't read has no advantage over one who can't read.” • “Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.” • “It is better to keep your mouth closed and have people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.” • “Laws control the lesser man... Right conduct controls the greater one.” • Mark Twain

3. Mark Twain (1835 – 1910) • AKA Samuel Langhorne Clemens • Originally a rich Mississippi River steamboat pilot • American Author, “the father of American literature” • Wrote The Gilded Age and the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn • Went bankrupt • Suffered from depression • Supporter of abolition, anti-racism, and women’s rights • Born and died on years in which Haley’s comet was visible

4. The South and Slavery 12.3 and 12.4

5. Bonus Questions • What were the approximate years of the American Industrial Revolution? • Who is the “Father of the Industrial Revolution in America? • What were some of the new manufacturing methods used during the Industrial Revolution in America? • Who invented the steamboat? How did this invention affect America?

6. Southern Agriculture • Before the Revolutionary War, there were 3 important crops • Tobacco • Rice • Indigo • After the Revolution, prices for these 3 crops dropped – the demand for slaves drops too • In the late 1700s cotton transforms the southern economy and increases the demand for slave labor

7. The Cotton Gin • Southern farmers had been growing small amounts of cotton since 1607 • Long-staple cotton was easiest to process, but did not grow well in the South • Short-staple cotton grew well, but was very difficult to process • In 1792, New England inventor Eli Whitney came up with the idea for a cotton separator while visiting a friend in GA • The cotton gin was finished by 1793, it revived the cotton industry and helped transform the southern economy

8. The Cotton Boom • The cotton gin caused many farmers to switch to growing cotton • Some moved west into the cotton belt ------- • Benefits of growing cotton included: • It was easy to grow and transport • It did not spoil if stored correctly • Crossbreeding produced stronger types of cotton • Disadvantages of growing cotton • Large amounts of nutrients pulled from the soil

9. The Cotton Boom • Scientific agriculture starts to gain popularity at this time • Genetic engineering of new types of cotton • Some scientists recommend crop rotation • The cotton boom makes the institution of slavery stronger and makes the South a major power in global trade – Britain • Port cities grow • Charleston, SC, Savannah, GA, New Orleans, LA • Rivers are heavily used, Mississippi River steamboats become popular Mark Twain AKA Samuel Clemens’ Mississippi Steamboat

10. Southern Industry • Southern industry lagged behind because of agricultural profits • Joseph R. Anderson built Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond, VA into a large company by 1860 • It produced half of the South’s artillery during the Civil War • One of the only buildings that survived the burning of Richmond, VA • This was the South’s only factory that made iron products at the time

11. Southern Society • The majority of white southerners did not own any slaves • Between 1800 and 1850 only 33% of white southern families were slave owners • Even a smaller number were planters

12. Planters or Planter Elite • A small minority with a huge amount of power • They served as political leaders • The men focused on raising and selling crops while the women managed the household • Marriages were often arranged for business or political reasons • “Planter Elite”

13. Yeoman Farmers and the Poor • Most white southerners were yeoman farmers • They worked long days alongside their slaves (if they had any) • Others lived on land that couldn’t be farmed • They hunted, fished, and gardened • Usually poor

14. African Americans • Most African Americans in the South were slaves, but a small minority were free • About 250,000 free African Americans by 1860 • They worked as farmers or on plantations • In cities they worked a variety of jobs • They also faced constant discrimination – they were seen as a threat to slavery by many whites

15. The Slave System

16. Slaves and Work • Although treatment of slaves varied, most owners tried to get slaves to work as much as possible • On small farms slaves did many different jobs • On large plantations slaves usually did a specific job, mostly in the fields • Plantations usually had an overseer and a slave foreman (aka driver) that oversaw slaves

17. Slaves and Work • Plantations used the gang labor system – all field hands work the same job all day • Men, women, and children over 10 did the same work • Nothing stopped the work (sickness, bad weather, etc.) • A few slaves worked as butlers, cooks, or nurses in the planter’s home – they had better food and clothing • On larger plantations sometimes slaves worked at skilled jobs like blacksmithing or carpentry – some bought their freedom

18. Life Under Slavery • Slave owners treated slaves as property not as people – they were bought and sold to make money • Sometimes free African Americans were kidnapped and sold into slavery • Slaves received poor clothing and shelter – cabins with dirt floors and leaky roofs • A few were allowed to farm and raise chickens • Slaves were punished harshly for disobedience

19. Harry McMillan • “The punishments were whipping, putting you in the stocks and making you wear irons and a chain at work. They had a collar to put around your neck with two horns, so you could not lie down…Sometimes they dug a hole like a well with a door on top. They called it a dungeon keeping you in two or three weeks or a month, sometimes you died in there.”

20. Life Under Slavery • Slaves could not travel far from their homes • It was usually illegal to teach slaves to read and write • Slave owners primary goal was to control their slaves

21. Slave Culture • Slaves had a strong sense of community and culture • The most important unit was their family – they feared being sold away and separated • They passed down family histories and African traditions with folktales • Religion also played an important part in slave culture • Most slaves were Protestant • White preachers said that God wanted slaves to obey slaveholders • Slaves believed that everyone was equal in God’s eyes • Slaves sang spirituals – songs blending Christian and African traditions

23. Challenging Slavery • Slaves rebelled against the slave system daily • Working slower • Running away – succeeding was hard • Violent slave revolts – were very rare • Revolts were planned in 1800 and 1822 but stopped before they were carried out

24. Nat Turner’s Rebellion • Nat Turner was a slave from Virginia who felt that God had called on him to end slavery • He recruits slaves and his rebellion begins in August 1831 • Turner and his followers kill almost 60 white people • The rebellion is eventually put down and over 100 slaves are killed • Turner is caught and executed in November 1831 • Significance: this was the most violent slave revolt in U.S. history and caused planters to become very suspicious of their slaves