Sectional Differences
North v. South
Main Ideas for the South
—  The South was mostly a rural region whose
economy was based on agriculture rather than
industry.
—  Wealthy plantation owners ruled over much of
Southern society, while enslaved Africans lived hard
lives.
The Cotton Kingdom
—  Between 1820 and 1860, the South remained
largely agricultural with few large cities.
—  Therefore, they had to purchase most of their
manufactured goods from the industrial North.
The Cotton Kingdom
—  Southern Conservatism
—  People of the South loved their tradition-rich past.
—  Southerners had no desire to become
industrialized, which limited the growth of cities.
—  New Orleans was the biggest city of the South and
the only one comparable to large cities of the
North.
The Cotton Kingdom
—  Southern Manufacturing
—  Before 1860, yeomanry, or white families on
small Southern farms, still produced much of
their clothing at home.
—  Wealthy plantation owners wore factorymade cloth from England and the North.
The Cotton Kingdom
—  Some Southerners tried to create factories that focused around
making flour, tobacco products, and cotton cloth, but they never
flourished.
“We purchase all our luxuries and necessities from the North.
Our slaves are clothed with Northern manufactured goods…
work with Northern hoes, plows, and other implements. The
slaveholder dresses in Northern goods, rides in a Northern
saddle, sports his Northern carriage, reads Northern books. In
Northern vessels his products are carried to market, his cotton
is ginned with Northern gins, his sugar is crushed and
preserved with Northern machinery, his rivers are navigated by
Northern steamboats.” –Alabama Newspaper
The Cotton Kingdom
—  The Need for Cotton
—  During the Industrial Revolution, the demand for
cotton increased in Great Britain and the
northern U.S.
—  Because textile mills produced cheaper goods
faster, they needed more cotton. The South had
to find a faster way to remove the seeds.
The
Cotton
Kingdom
—  Eli Whitney Invents the Cotton Gin
—  Eli Whitney first came to the South to serve as a tutor
on a Georgia plantation.
—  The plantation owner asked him to build a device to
remove the seeds from cotton pods.
—  After a failed attempt, Eli Whitney finally created the
Cotton Gin.
The Cotton Kingdom
—  Cotton is King
—  The cotton gin could process cotton at a much
quicker rate than ever before.
—  This led to cotton becoming the South’s most
important cash crop. By 1860, cotton made up
57% of all exports from the U.S.
—  To keep up with cotton demands, planters
needed more land, which led to increased
westward expansion.
The Cotton Kingdom
—  Slavery Revived
—  In the South, slaves made up most of the labor
supply.
—  As a result of increased demand for cotton, the
need for slave labor also increased.
—  Between 1790 and 1860, the number of Southern
slaves increased from 500,000 to 4 million.
Life in the South
—  Southern Class Structure
—  Only about ¼ of all white Southern families owned
slaves.
—  Most that did own slaves usually had 20 or less.
—  The few large plantation owners of the South strongly
influenced Southern politics, society, and economy.
Life in the South
—  Planters
—  Large plantation owners were at the top of Southern
society.
—  Wealth was measured by the amount of land and
slaves they possessed.
—  Most owners used an overseer to instruct and
supervise the slaves.
Life in the South
—  Yeomanry
—  This group was ranked below the plantation owners
and made up the largest part of the South’s
population.
—  Some owned between 0-20 slaves and farmed hundred
of acres.
—  Much more social with their neighbors than plantation
owners.
Life in the South
—  Poor Whites
—  This group was at the bottom of the white society in
the South.
—  Made up a small percentage of the population.
—  These people were forced off their fertile land by
wealthy farmers and most lived in the frontier area,
making it difficult to survive.
Life in the South
—  Free African Americans
—  Below the poor whites in the Southern society.
—  More than 200,000 lived in the South around
1850. Most were runaway slaves or
descendants of freed slaves during or after the
American Revolution. Some even bought their
freedom.
—  Even though they were free, they were still
treated harshly by the whites.
Life in the South
—  Life of Enslaved Persons
—  Most slaves worked as field-hands, laboring for
long hours.
—  Some that possessed more skills might get to
work as carpenters or blacksmiths. Women could
work as midwifes, servants, or nurses within the
home.
Life in the South
—  Treatment of Slaves
—  Slaves worked long hours each and every day.
Children went to work in the fields as well.
—  They were beaten into obedience and made to
work even harder.
—  Slaves did receive decent health care and shelter.
They were an investment and slave owners wanted
to make sure their “property” didn’t die.
Life in the South
—  Slave Codes
—  Slave codes were used to control enslaved people.
*They were denied basic human rights.
-No power in court
-Couldn’t own property
-Couldn’t strike a white person
-Not allowed to leave the plantation
-Were not allowed to be educated
Life in the South
—  The Auction Block
—  Slaves were sold at auctions. Their biggest fear was
being separated from their families.
Life in the South
—  Families
—  Slave marriages were never considered
permanent (always being separated).
—  Slave families included much of the extended
family (grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins).
This was all that most slaves had.
Life in the South
—  Resistance
—  Slaves resisted slaveholders in many ways (refused to work,
broke tools, damage crops, stole food).
—  Very few ever used armed resistance. However, Denmark
Vesey planned a revolt after he gained his freedom. His plan
was discovered and he was put to death, along with 35
others.
—  Nat Turner led a successful slave revolt, killing more than 60
whites. Turner and others were captured and put to death.
This led to stricter slave codes.