Small Farms
1. Many Southerners owned small farms with little or no slaves.
2. Unlike the popular slavery films and books, only a few people could afford an abundance of slaves.
3. Most Southerners were either yeomen, tenant farmers, the rural poor, or plantation owners.
Small Farmers and the Rural Poor
1. Yeomen, who made up the largest group of Southerners, lived in the Upper South and rural Deep South where large plantations did not exist.
2. Most yeomen lived in simple homes on 50 to 200 acres of land where they grew small amounts of crops to use or sell.
3. Both the rural poor and tenant farmers did not own vast amounts of land, instead renting land on estates or living in rural areas.
2. Unlike the popular slavery films and books, only a few people could afford an abundance of slaves.
3. Most Southerners were either yeomen, tenant farmers, the rural poor, or plantation owners.
Small Farmers and the Rural Poor
1. Yeomen, who made up the largest group of Southerners, lived in the Upper South and rural Deep South where large plantations did not exist.
2. Most yeomen lived in simple homes on 50 to 200 acres of land where they grew small amounts of crops to use or sell.
3. Both the rural poor and tenant farmers did not own vast amounts of land, instead renting land on estates or living in rural areas.
Plantations
1. A large plantation usually covered several thousand acres and came equipped with a large farmhouse for plantation owners to live in.
2. Most plantations only owned about 10 slaves or less, with only about 4% owning more than 20.
3. Even a few free African American families owned slaves, usually to purchase and free their family and friends.
Plantation Owners
1. Plantations had to earn profits so that they could pay off their fixed costs.
2. Although the fixed costs remained about the same every year, cottons prices varied every season and plantation owners usually sold to agents of cotton exchanges to recieve the best prices.
3. These agents gave them credit until they recieved payment for the cotton several months later when the cotton prices rose.
Plantation Wives
1. The wives of planters usually supervised the plantation's gardens, buildings, slaves, and financial records.
2. Most plantation owners spend long periods away from the plantation to look at new land or to sell crops, so the life of a plantation wife was very lonely.
3. Moving to new, uncivilized regions as plantation agriculture spread to the west was also very difficult for the women.
Work on the Plantation
1. Slaves that worked inside cooking, cleaning, sewing, doing laundry, and serving meals were known as domestic slaves.
2. There were also slaves who were blacksmiths, carpenters, shoemakers, weavers, and field hands.
3. Field hands worked under the supervision of an overseer while planting, cultivating, and harvesting crops.
2. Most plantations only owned about 10 slaves or less, with only about 4% owning more than 20.
3. Even a few free African American families owned slaves, usually to purchase and free their family and friends.
Plantation Owners
1. Plantations had to earn profits so that they could pay off their fixed costs.
2. Although the fixed costs remained about the same every year, cottons prices varied every season and plantation owners usually sold to agents of cotton exchanges to recieve the best prices.
3. These agents gave them credit until they recieved payment for the cotton several months later when the cotton prices rose.
Plantation Wives
1. The wives of planters usually supervised the plantation's gardens, buildings, slaves, and financial records.
2. Most plantation owners spend long periods away from the plantation to look at new land or to sell crops, so the life of a plantation wife was very lonely.
3. Moving to new, uncivilized regions as plantation agriculture spread to the west was also very difficult for the women.
Work on the Plantation
1. Slaves that worked inside cooking, cleaning, sewing, doing laundry, and serving meals were known as domestic slaves.
2. There were also slaves who were blacksmiths, carpenters, shoemakers, weavers, and field hands.
3. Field hands worked under the supervision of an overseer while planting, cultivating, and harvesting crops.
Life Under Slavery
1. Enslaved African Americans worked hard, had little freedom, recieved no money, and were constantly fearful of being separated from their loved ones.
2. Despite their hardships and misery, slaves maintained culture and a family life.
3. They made efforts to resist slavery using of ingenious methods.
Life in the Slave Cabins
1. Except for the basic necessities, slaves were not provided with comfort items.
2. Their living quarters were crowded and small, and they slept huddled together on the bare ground with a single blanket.
Family Life
1. Even under the constant fear of being seperated, many African Americans married, even if it wasn't recognized by American law.
2. African Americans had a huge network of relatives and friends that they considered their extended family.
3. This feature in the African culture provided a measure of stability and comfort to their fears.
African American Culture
1. A new culture, mixing African and American elements, was created by enslaved African Americans.
2. Because the slave trade was outlawed, the South was not allowed to accept any new slaves, ensuring that, by the 1860s, most slaves had been born in the U.S.
3. The new culture of African American slaves kept African music, dance, folk stories, styles, and religious beliefs.
African American Christianity
1. Many African Americans accepted Christianity and prayed to be free from bondage.
2. African American slaves expressed themselves in songs and spirituals.
3. Spirituals were used to communicate secretly and contained hidden messages.
Slave Codes
1. Slave codes preventing rebellion worsened for enslaved African Americans during 1830 to 1860.
2. Slaves were forbidden to gather together in groups or leave without a written pass from their masters.
3. Fearing that literate slaves would more likely lead a rebellion, slave codes prohibited them from teaching African Americans how to read or write.
Resistance to Slavery
1. In 1831, Nat Turner, a literate religious leader, led a group of slaves into killing 55 whites before being captured and hung for rebellion.
2. Instead of armed rebellion, African Americans were more likely to resist by working slowly or pretending to be sick.
3. Resistance helped African Americans endure their lives as slaves, and, once in a while, some groups would burn down a building or break tools.
Escaping Slavery
1. Although escaping to the North was nearly impossible, a few slaves, like Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass, escaped using the Underground Railroad.
2. Instead of escaping to the North, many slaves went in search of family and friends at other plantations.
3. Most were captured and returned to their masters, who usually whipped them for disobedience.
2. Despite their hardships and misery, slaves maintained culture and a family life.
3. They made efforts to resist slavery using of ingenious methods.
Life in the Slave Cabins
1. Except for the basic necessities, slaves were not provided with comfort items.
2. Their living quarters were crowded and small, and they slept huddled together on the bare ground with a single blanket.
Family Life
1. Even under the constant fear of being seperated, many African Americans married, even if it wasn't recognized by American law.
2. African Americans had a huge network of relatives and friends that they considered their extended family.
3. This feature in the African culture provided a measure of stability and comfort to their fears.
African American Culture
1. A new culture, mixing African and American elements, was created by enslaved African Americans.
2. Because the slave trade was outlawed, the South was not allowed to accept any new slaves, ensuring that, by the 1860s, most slaves had been born in the U.S.
3. The new culture of African American slaves kept African music, dance, folk stories, styles, and religious beliefs.
African American Christianity
1. Many African Americans accepted Christianity and prayed to be free from bondage.
2. African American slaves expressed themselves in songs and spirituals.
3. Spirituals were used to communicate secretly and contained hidden messages.
Slave Codes
1. Slave codes preventing rebellion worsened for enslaved African Americans during 1830 to 1860.
2. Slaves were forbidden to gather together in groups or leave without a written pass from their masters.
3. Fearing that literate slaves would more likely lead a rebellion, slave codes prohibited them from teaching African Americans how to read or write.
Resistance to Slavery
1. In 1831, Nat Turner, a literate religious leader, led a group of slaves into killing 55 whites before being captured and hung for rebellion.
2. Instead of armed rebellion, African Americans were more likely to resist by working slowly or pretending to be sick.
3. Resistance helped African Americans endure their lives as slaves, and, once in a while, some groups would burn down a building or break tools.
Escaping Slavery
1. Although escaping to the North was nearly impossible, a few slaves, like Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass, escaped using the Underground Railroad.
2. Instead of escaping to the North, many slaves went in search of family and friends at other plantations.
3. Most were captured and returned to their masters, who usually whipped them for disobedience.
City Life and Education
1. By the mid-1800s, there were several large cities in the South that grew as centers of trade at seaports, river ports, or the crossroads of railways.
2. Free African Americans formed their own communities in these cities, founding churches, buisnesses, and institutions.
3. Between 1830 and 1860, many laws were passed that prohibited any free slaves, making it difficult for slaves to go about their daily lives.
Education
1. Those who could afford it sent their children to private schools to learn classical literature, mathematics, religion, Greek, Latin, and public speaking.
2. The number of schools and teachers started to grow, creating public school systems for those who could not afford private schooling.
3. Due to geography, it was difficult to send kids to school and the South lacked in literacy rates.
2. Free African Americans formed their own communities in these cities, founding churches, buisnesses, and institutions.
3. Between 1830 and 1860, many laws were passed that prohibited any free slaves, making it difficult for slaves to go about their daily lives.
Education
1. Those who could afford it sent their children to private schools to learn classical literature, mathematics, religion, Greek, Latin, and public speaking.
2. The number of schools and teachers started to grow, creating public school systems for those who could not afford private schooling.
3. Due to geography, it was difficult to send kids to school and the South lacked in literacy rates.