Slavery from 1815-1848

By Parker Stallworth and Zara Corzine

Background Information Pre-1815• By the American Revolution, approx. 20% of the population in

America was African American• At this time, only 9% of the African American population was

free• “According to an agreement that determined the size of a

state’s congressional delegation, a slave counted as three-fifths of a free white male” (Brands, 225)

• Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Washington, three of the founding presidents of the country, were all slave holders

• In the American Revolution, African Americans fought on both the British side and the American side

Slaves per State

Background Information Pre-1815 #2

What was slavery in the early 19th century?

• The practice of taking a person as legal property and forcing them to comply with one’s wishes (unwillingly)

• The economy of the US in the early 1800’s was highly dependent on slavery.

• There were approximately 4 million slaves in the US at the peak of slavery, with a market value of around 4 billion dollars

• Slaves were used on farms, for cleaning, as servants, and for general housework

• Slaves were forced to remain and did not try to run away often due to fear of cruel punishment like shackles, whipping, and other torture contraptions

Slaves In the South• There were three distinct types of slaves in the South

– Plantation Slaves: “On large plantations in the Cotton Belt, most slaves worked in ”gangs” under an overseer. Cotton cultivation required year-round labor, so there was never a slack season under King Cotton” (Brands 293)

– Task System Slaves: These slaves worked in South Carolina and Georgia and cultivated rice under a task system, which gave them control over the pace of labor. They served as field laborers and did hard manual labor as well

– Small Farm Slaves: These slaves were owned by slave owners who owned less than 20 slaves. Life was better for these

slaves, and they typically lived and worked on the same playing field as their masters. They did both domestic and agrarian chores.

Slaves In the South #2• Many Southerners believed in the concept of southern paternalism, which

relied of the perception of blacks as childlike and unable to take care of themselves

• Because of southern paternalism, slaves adopted a demeanor of submissiveness and acted grateful for the privileges being allotted to them

• Slaves lived in poverty, but adopted Christianity, because they were taught it was the right thing to do. They combined elements of Christianity with their African culture to create their own new culture.

• 250,000 free blacks (descendants of slaves freed by their owners or freed for having fought in the Revolutionary War) lived in the south

• Black Codes were laws that kept freed blacks from owning guns, drinking liquor, or assembling in groups of more than three outside of church.

• Mulattos (mixed race individuals) were also looked upon poorly by the majority of slave owners in the South

Slavery and the Southern Economy• “Tobacco, the original plantation crop of the colonial period,

continued to be the principal slave-cultivated commodity of the upper tier of southern states during the pre-Civil War era. But markets were often depressed, and profitable tobacco cultivation was hard to sustain for very long in one place because the crop rapidly depleted the soil.” (Brands, 309)

• Slaves and crops drove the Southern economy, and the slaves were a vital part of its success. This proved to be the root of southern resistance to abolition.

Slavery In the North• It is a common misconception that slaves only existed in the

North. Slaves existed in all 13 states. • The north had less slaves only due to the fact that their was

not as much farming opportunity in the north as their was in the south.

• “The North failed to develop large scale agrarian slavery, such as later arose in the deep south, but that had little to do with morality and much to do with climate and economy.”

• In the north, slaves were used for domestic tasks, such as cooking, cleaning and building.

• The abolition movement began mainly in the north

Missouri Compromise

- Admitted Missouri as a slave state- Carved a piece out of Massachusetts-

Maine- and admitted Maine as a free state

- Drew a line along the 36°30’ parallel across the Louisiana Territory

- Established the southern border of Missouri as the northernmost point at which slavery would be allowed in the western territories of the united States, except for Missouri (This violated the Missouri Compromise in itself).

Henry Clay, the great compromiser, negotiated the Missouri Compromise, which:

The Underground Railroad

• The Underground Railroad was a network of hiding places and safe trails for slaves who were trying to escape from the South into New England or Canada to attain freedom

• The slaves would leave their farm and travel in groups or alone or by assistance of a “conductor,” who would lead the slaves to “safe homes,” where the slaves could spend the night and get food and materials before resuming their journey

• The largest of these committees were in Boston, New York, and Philadelphia• To signify which houses were safe houses, the residents of the house would

leave a quilt with a specific pattern or a lit lantern as a signal to the houses that were alright to stay at

• The slaves would follow the stars (Northern Star, the Drinking Gourd) while traveling at night to get to the North (Northern Star!)

The Underground Railroad Part 2• The South lost about 100,000 slaves between 1810-1850 due

to the Underground Railroad• Its name came from the emergence of steam engines, which

were becoming more and more popular in the United States around 1830

• Slaves would travel by boat and train as well (which were very expensive), with money donated by wealthy Northerners. The Northerners would also give money to buy clothes for the escaping slaves so they wouldn’t look as suspicious.

Follow the Drinking Gourd• Follow the drinking gourd,Follow the drinking gourd,

For the old man is waitingfor to carry you to freedomIf you follow the drinking gourd. The riverbank will make a very good road,The dead trees show you the way.Left foot, peg foot traveling on,Following the drinking gourd.The river ends between two hills,Follow the drinking gourd,There's another river on the other side,Follow the drinking gourd.When the great big river meets the little river,Follow the drinking gourd.For the old man is waitingfor to carry you to freedomIf you follow the drinking gourd.

Famous Underground Railroaders

• Harriet Tubman• John Fairfield• Levi Coffin

Famous Members of the Abolition Movement

• Frederick Douglass• Sojourner Truth• William Lloyd Garrison

The Compromise of 1850

Bibliography