Slave Life

“The Positive Good ?”Chapter 13

Slavery and the South

Background

I. Background

1. American Slavery1. Drive for Profits

2. Dehumanization of Africans

2. “Cotton is King”

3. Southworld’s most extensive slave economy.

4. Southmost were non-slaveholders

II. Planter Hierarchy

1. Bottom: yeoman farmers; independent1. Middle Class; owned 3-5 slaves

2. Planter Elite

2. Black Hierarchy

3. Bottom: Field slave1. House

2. Mulatto

3. Free

III. Southern Way of Life

1. Wealth & social customs base on slavery

2. Slaveholding determines social position

3. 1800 1/3 of South’s population made up of slaves

4. 1860 4 million slaves

5. 1825 S. world leader in cotton production

IV. Daily Life of a Slave

Outhouse

V. Violence

Psychological Abuse

1. Wedding gifts

2. Willed away

3. Birthday gifts

VI. Slave Codes

Slaves Can’t do any of these things:1. Teach each other (read/write)2. Hit a white person3. Can’t free slaves w/out permission4. Testify5. Make contracts6. Own guns7. Assemble8. Marry9. Free Blacks?

VII. Black Codes (Segregation)

1. Mostly in the North

2. Restricted integration in:

3. Hotels

4. Dining Halls

5. Offices, etc.

6. Vote, testify, assemble, own a gun, curfews, buy liquor, etc.

John C. Calhoun

1. 1837, “Positive Good”

VIII. Southern Paternalism

1. Elites dominated the south

2. “Positive Good” theory

3. Not oppressorsguardians of an inferior race!!

4. Civilize the beastly slaves

5. Structure & discipline

6. Better than industrial workers in the North

IX. Resistance/Rebellion

1. Play dumb

2. Break tools

3. Move slow

4. Stereotypes—dumb & lazy

5. Temporarily run-away

6. @250 instances of slave revolts (10 or more)

X. 10 Reasons slave resistance was not violent

1. Whites/Blacks supervision

2. Didn’t question or were ok w/their position

3. Disunity

4. Economically better off

5. Strong southern militias

6. Bad geography for a successful revolution (ie: no jungles)

10 Reasons slave resistance was not violent (cont’d)

7. Owned in small groups (3-5)

8. Not healthy enough

9. Partially white—related to master

10.Leadership limited to Baptist ministers of pacifist backgrounds

XI. Major Rebellions

1. New York Revolt, 1712

2. Stono Rebellion

3. Gabriel’s Rebellion

4. Denmark Vesey

5. Nat Turner

XII. Denmark Vesey

1. Former slave

2. Abolitionist

3. Planned a large revolt

4. Did not occur afterall

XIII. Nat Turner

1. Slave minister

2. “Visions” from God;

wait for a sign to start

a rebellion

3. REBELLION!!

4. 60 Whites killed;

MOST ever in a rebellion