The Nature and Development of Slavery in the United States 1790-1860
Dec 23, 2015
Slavery: Post Revolution
“republican” ideology of equality and liberty
Massachusetts outlaws slavery in 1783
By 1800, slavery is banned above the Mason-Dixon Line
Northwest Ordinance of 1787 banned slavery in the Northwest Territories
Virginia and Maryland: wave of manumission—100,000 slaves are freed
George Washington freed all his slaves
Quakers promote abolition of slavery in the late 18th century
Early Expansion
South Carolina and Georgia continue to import slaves until 1808
Invention of cotton gin in 1793
Louisiana Purchase in 1803
New slave states by 1819: Tennessee, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama
Causes
Technology
cotton gin
transportation revolution
Textile factories: New England’s Lowell System
New territories
Exhausted soils in Old South
Indian Removal
War of 1812
Indian Removal Act of 1830 and Trail of Tears
Black Hawk and Seminole Wars of the 1830s
Slavery in 1860
Fifteen slave states
Southern population:
9 million total
3.6 million slaves
250,000 free blacks (mostly urban areas)
Most slaves lived on middling plantations and small farms
Slave trade
250,000 slaves imported illegally
Thriving domestic trade: “breeding” plantations of Upper South
White Population
Owned 50+ slaves: 1%
Owned 20-49 slaves: 3%
Owned 10-19 slaves: 4%
Owned 1-9 slaves: 17%
Non slave-owners: 75%
Nature and Characteristics
Small Farms
More Common Masters worked alongside
slaves Worked long, hard hours Less harshly treated: were
a more significant investment
Were not profitable
Large Plantations
Less common but more profitable
Strict chain of command, structure, and greater organization
Possessed skilled artisans such as carpenters, masons, and blacksmiths considered even more valuable than field hands
Possessed household slaves (domestics): cooks, valets, coachmen, nannies
Large Plantations
Mistress Master
White overseer or Black slave
drivers
House Servan
ts
Skilled
Artisans
Black field hands and unskilled
laborersMt. Vernon
Slave Life
Usually two parent families and extended kinship
Lived in slave quarters: developed own culture
Children begin work at 7 years old
Grandparents take care of younger children
Average life span: 30-40 years
Slave codes
“chattel” (property)
Had no legal rights
Could not legally get married: “jump” the broom
Large families encouraged
Slave Life
Treatment of slaves varied
Threat of separation of families: 1 in 3 were separated
Use of the whip: “breaking” a slave
Women subject to rape and exploitation
Slave resistance
Runaways
Work slowdowns
Sabotage
Underground Railroad
Slavery: Justifications
Biblical Justification: Admonitions to servants to obey their masters (it’s in the Bible)
Historical Justification: The preexistence of slavery in great civilizations (i.e. Rome, Greece, Egypt )
Legal Justification: US Constitution’s refusal to forbid slavery and states’ rights (9th and 10th amendments)
Pseudoscientific Justification: “Black deficiency”, “barbaric” and “inherently inferior” (better off as slaves)
Sociological Justification: Feared end of slavery would result in chaos, loss of “Beautiful Country”
Socio-economic Impact
Created semi-feudal society
Economy remained largely agricultural
Limited immigration
Few urban areas
Created a large class of rural and poor whites
Social, cultural, and political life dominated by the elite
Vastly different pace of life and customs
Abolishing Slavery in America
Video Clip: Overview
http://video.pbs.org/video/2291360172/: Childhood
http://video.pbs.org/video/2292086226/ : Adult
http://video.pbs.org/video/2319979061/ : The End
Frederick Douglass
Reading from Frederick Douglass Slave Narrative
As you read the introduction, circle unknown words and define them in the margins
Highlight main points/claims made by Garrison regarding the Slave Narrative in one color
At the end,
Summarize Garrison’s Introduction in a few sentences
What is your reaction to the Introduction? Why?
Frederick Douglass
Read the selected chapters from the slave narrative
Circle and define unknown words
For each chapter, highlight key descriptions/events/people/situations that stand out to you. In the margins, comment for each highlight
At the end,
Summarize each chapter
What is your reaction to each chapter and why?