Slavery in America

Slavery: A Two-Part Story The history of slavery in North America is

broken into a two-fold story:1. 15 million Africans were transported

through the Middle Passage to the “New World.” ½ million sent to the present-day U.S.

2. The dramatic impact these enslaved people & the institution of slavery itself had on the development and history of the U.S.

The Ideas Behind Slavery

The idea of slavery is based on the belief that one culture is superior to other cultures (in this case, European vs.

African).It is important to recognize that slavery is

the key to making the modern world what it is today.

Slavery is central to the creation of the U.S. as a dominant world power! Slavery was highly productive & profitable!

The Development of Slavery Slavery existed in the great civilizations of

Ancient Greece, Rome, Egypt, China, the Inca, Aztecs, and numerous African tribes. The business of capturing and trading enslaved

people is fundamental throughout recorded history.

The Spanish & Portuguese began bringing slaves to the “New World” in 1503 from Western Africa to replace Native Americans in the gold mines.

Diminishing Slavery? At the time of the American Revolution and

the Constitutional debates, tobacco cultivation was decreasing (exhausted soil) and the need for slaves was diminishing (although still practiced, esp. in the South).

It was the invention of the Cotton Gin in 1793 that caused a surge in cultivation of and demand for cotton. Before, growing cotton had been a costly and

labor-intensive process.

More Land = More Cotton And then, the Louisiana Purchase was

acquired in 1803 which increased the amount of land on which cotton could be grown in the United States…

The Effect of the Cotton Gin Cotton production in the U.S. jumped from

3,000 bales in 1809 to nearly 200,000 by 1812, and to 4.5 million by 1869! Each bale weighed between 300-500 lbs.

On the eve of the Civil War, the value of cotton exports amounted to over 50% of the value of all U.S. exports!

More Cotton = More Slaves! This dramatic increase in cotton

production was accompanied by a massive increase in slave population. Approximately 700,000 slaves in 1790 to

nearly 4 million by 1860. In both Mississippi and South Carolina, there

were more enslaved people than free by 1860.

The Second Middle Passage Just as the demand for slaves increased,

the African slave trade ended (1808). In response to this, hundreds of thousands

of slaves were moved as part of a domestic slave trade—called the Second Middle Passage. At this time, more than 1 million slaves were

transported from the upper-South to the lower-South to grow cotton in new regions.

Most were marched hundreds or thousands of miles, taken from their families, to a new region of the country, and sold to a new master.

The Slave Owning South Most southern whites did not own slaves.

Only 400,000 out of 9 million in 1860. Of those who did own slaves, ½ owned fewer

than 5. Very few southerners owned 20 or more

slaves.

The Slave Trade & Auctions Slaves were traded at markets and

auctions. Individuals were brought up onto the

auction block, poked, pinched, etc.

Families were often torn apart.

An auction house in Atlanta, around 1864. A network of slave markets was set up throughout the South, on the Atlantic Coast and at points along the Mississippi River.

Conditions under Slavery The living conditions for the slaves varied

widely, but violence was common. Slavery was a brutal system that was

based on physical force, threats, torture, sexual exploitation, and intimidation.

Slaves were seen as property; treated like animals; called chattel. Chattel: human property with no

human rights

Peter, a slave in Louisania.It took two months to

recover from this whipping.

Surviving Slavery Over time, slaves developed their own

culture—a unique African-American culture. Slaves courted and married although their

marriages had no legal standing. Religion was an important means for

coping with slavery—modified Christianity.

A new language emerged in some regions, called Creole, which enabled slaves to communicate without their white overseers understanding.

Music & Dance Drums were important to African music.

Whites banned drums in an attempt to keep slaves from communicating with each other.

So, slaves substituted hand clapping, body slapping, and tapping feet.

Music was important survival mechanism for slaves—”Singing to beat the bad…”

Resistance to Slavery Slaves had resisted slavery in

different ways:Revolts & RebellionsWork slow-downs (often through songs)

Breaking equipment, burning barns, killing animals, performing careless work

Running Away

Nat Turner’s Rebellion One of the most famous slave rebellions

was led by slave Nat Turner in Virginia, 1831.

It started as a small rebellion but grew to more than 70 enslaved and free blacks.

The mob went from house to house freeing blacks and killing all the white people they found. Didn’t want to be discovered so they used

knives and left nearly no one alive (57 men, women, & children died).

Capture of Nat Turner Turner’s rebellion was eventually stopped

by an armed militia twice the mob’s size. Turner eluded capture for months, but was

discovered, tried, found guilty, and hung. 18 others were hung in connection to the

rebellion. Rumors and fear spread throughout the

South like wild-fire…

Although there were many incidents of organized slave rebellion, only several hundred are documented with reliable evidence. This map shows where some 313 rebellions, or alleged revolts by groups of ten or more slaves, took place as reported in official records and newspaper accounts.

Slave Codes & Fugitive Slave Laws In response to revolts

& runaways, Southern whites instituted strict laws, called slave or black codes.

Also, laws were written, locally and at the federal level, that allowed Southerners to go into free states to “reclaim” their runaway slaves.

North vs. SouthThe North

Urban city centers Industrialized—lots

of manufacturing Connected to the

west by over 20,000 miles of railroad track

Rapid immigration from Europe to fill factory jobs

The South Rural—plantations

and small farms Economy relied on

staple crops (like cotton)

Little industry & manufacturing

Few immigrants Used rivers to

transport goods

Why was the North opposed to slavery? Slavery was not a moral issue for most

northerners. Most northerners opposed slavery for 2

main reasons.1. Slave labor could lead to competition

with free labor jobs.2. Slavery threatened to reduce the status

of white workers (could not compete with slaves).

The Abolitionist Movement Reform movement to eliminate slavery. Leaders:

William Lloyd Garrison Frederick Douglass Harriet Tubman Sojourner Truth

Slavery in America Just before the beginning of the Civil War,

there were approximately 4 million slaves living in the United States.

The South, at this point, was heavily INVESTED in slavery. Largely economic, but also culturally. Slavery was the way of the South.

The Legacy of Slavery

Slavery’s long-lasting effects include racism and social inequality.

But, the overthrow of slavery represents one of human history’s most important and respectable achievements.