SlaveryintheUnitedStates
Since1619,slaveryhadexistedinthesoutherncolonies,but
whentheConstitutionwascreatedin1787,itwasagreedthatthe
Africanslavetradewouldendwithintwentyyears.
Slaverywasnotapopularinstitutionbythe1790’sandmostof
theremainingU.S.slaveshadbeenbornintheAmerica.Northern
statesabolishedslaverybycourtactionorbylawsthattheypassed.
Southernershadtoomuchmoneyinvestedinslavestogothatfar,
butmanyownerswereallowedtofreetheirslavesiftheywished.
Themainuseforslavesatthattimewasintobaccoproduction,but
thecropquicklyexhaustedthesoilbydrawingoutnitrogenand
othernutrients.SlaveryintheSouthseemedtobecomingtoan
endbecausetobaccowasnolongerprofitable.However,planters
didnothavetolookfarforanother,moreprofitablecrop.
Thenewsourceofwealthwascotton.Intheearly1800s,two
FrederickDouglass
eventstriggeredthedemandforcotton.First,theIndustrial
RevolutioninBritainandNewEnglandbeganinthetextilemills.Asthesemillsturnedtomachinesto
producecloth,thedemandforrawcottonsoared.
Second,theinventionofthecottonginbyEliWhitney,whichsolvedthelongstandingproblemof
separatingtheseedsfromthecottonfibers.Itwasaboxwithahandcrankedcylinderthatfedthecotton
throughnarrowslots,wideenoughforthecotton,buttoonarrowfortheseeds.Thecottonginallowed
workerstoclean50poundsofcottonadayinsteadofonepoundbyhand.Theresultwashighercotton
productiontomeettherisingdemand.
In1792,theUnitedStatesproduced10,000balesofcotton,butby1825thecottonstatesintheSouth
produced533,000bales.Cottonproductswerefarmorepopularthanwoolforclothing;andwiththe
meanstoproducecottonclothexpanding,itwasmoreaffordable.
Buttherewerealsonegativeconsequences.Expansionofcottonrequiredmoreworkers,andthatmade
anewmarketforslaves.Thepriceofslavesshotup,andtheSouthwouldnevervoluntarilysurrenderthis
largepoolofworkersthathelpeddriveitscottonproduction.TheSouth’seconomywasnowdirectlylinked
totheinstitutionofslavery.
AfewhundredAfricanslaveswerebroughtinillegallyafter1807,butnearlyalloftheU.S.slaveshad
arrivedorwereborninAmericabythattime.Itishardtosayhowslavesweretreatedbecausesome
masterswerehumaneandotherswerecruel.Butsomegeneralthingscanbesaid.Mastersboughtslaves
becausetheirwasmoneytobemadeincottonpicking,butfewlaborerswerewillingtodothatkindof
work.Mostslavesworkedonlargeplantations,underthedirectionofwhitesupervisorscalled“overseers.”
However,onoccasion,masterswouldpromoteenslavedblackmen– “drivers”– tosupervisetheworkers.
Themajorityoftheworkersontheplantationswere“fieldhands,”butotherswereskilledlaborersor
servantsinsidethehome.
Atbest,slaveslivedveryinsecurelives.Ahusbandorwifemightbesoldawaybythemaster,andthey
wouldneverseeeachotheragain.Childrenbelongedtothemaster,aswell,andcouldbetakenfromtheir
motheratanytime.Evenwhenthingsweregoingwell,slaveswererarelycontent.Thingscouldchangein
aninstance.Therewasalwaysthepossibilityofbeingsold“downriver,”orakindlymastercoulddie,and
theycouldfindthemselveswithacruelmaster.
Mostslavesnevergavetheirmastersanytrouble.Theydidtheirwork,andtheyfoundpleasureintheir
religionandinfamilyandfriends.Religionwasanimportantpartoftheirlivesbecauseittoldthemthata
betterdaywascoming,whentheycouldgotoheavenandbewithGod.Othersfoundlittlewaystoget
evenwiththeirmastersonearth:breaktheirhoe,loafonthejob,stealfood,andsetfires.Sometimes
theyopenlydefiedtheirmasters,eitheringroupsorasindividuals.
Occasionally,therewerelargescalerevolts.In1800,Gabriel’s
RevolttookplaceinRichmond,Virginia.Gabriel,ablacksmithwho
couldread,plannedwithotherslavestocapturethearsenaland
kidnapthegovernor;thentheotherslaveswouldjointhem.Some
slavestoldtheirmasters,andthoseinvolvedintheplotwere
arrested;twentywerekilled.In1822,DenmarkVesey,afreeblackin
Charleston,SouthCarolina,organizedabouteightymen;butagain,
slavestoldtheirmasters,andtherevoltwascrushed.Veseyand
thirty-fourothersweretriedandexecuted.Thelargestrebellionwas
thatofNatTurnerinruralSouthamptonCounty,Virginia.Turnerand
hisfollowerskilledoversixtywhitesbeforetheywerecaptured,tried,
andexecuted.Otherslavesavoidedviolentrevoltsandfoundmore
successinattackingtheinstitutionofslavery.
FrederickDouglasswasaslaveinMaryland.Attheageoftwelve
hismaster’swifetaughthimthealphabetandFrederickbegan
teachinghimselfhowtoreadandwrite.Afterteachingotherslaves
lessonsataweeklySundayschool,hismastersenthimtoworkfor
HarrietTubman
EdwardCovey,apoorfarmerknownforbreakingslaves.Aftersix
monthsofbrutaltreatment,Douglasshadenough.Afterwinningagruelingphysicalconfrontationthat
lastedovertwohours,CoveyneverwhippedDouglassagain.Later,Douglassescapedslaveryandbecame
themostfamousblackmaninAmericaandaleadingspokesmanoftheabolitionist(anti-slavery)
movement.Anotherprominentmemberoftheabolitionistswasarunawayslavewhocontinuedtoreturn
totheSouthinanefforttohelpothersescapetheshacklesofslavery.
HarrietTubmanwasbornAraminta Ross,andchangedhernameaftermarryingJohnTubman,afree
blackman.AfterusingthefamedUndergroundRailroad(aninformalnetworkofanti-slaveryactivists,
routes,andsafehousestohelpslavestofreedom)toescapeintoPennsylvania,TubmanfeltthatGodhad
taskedherwithaholymission.ShebecameaconductorfortheRailroad,andsubsequentlywentonto
helpabout300slavesescapetofreedom.BythetimethattheFugitiveSlaveLawpassedin1850,slave
ownersoffereda$40,000rewardforthecaptureofHarrietTubman.
Whatslavescouldorcouldnotdowaslimitedbythetypeofmastertheyhad.Manyoftheseslaves
developedmethodsofresistancethatevenedthescorewiththesystemthatheldthemdown.The
Tubmans andDouglasses werefewinnumber,buttheirmereexistencewasenoughtocauseconcern
amongSouthernslave-owners.
Source:ReadingandQuestionsadaptedfromGeorgeLee.DecisionsthatShapedAmerica1607-1865/MarkTwainMedia,
1993andGeorgeLee&RogerGaston.CivilWar– TheWarBetweentheStates/MarkTwainMedia,1994.
Name________________________
Challenges
1.
WhatyeardidtheAfricanslavetradecometoanend?
2.
Whywasn’tslaverypracticedbyNorthernstates?
3.
WhydidslaveryseemtobecomingtoanendintheSouth?
4.
WhatreplacedtobaccoasthemostprofitablecropintheSouth?
5.
Explain thetworeasonswhythedemandforcottonincreasedinthe1800’s?(2points)
6.
Whoinventedthecottongin?Whatdidthemachinedo?
7.
Basedontheinformationinthereadinganswerthefollowingquestion–
(a)Ifoneslaveusedacottonginfor7days,howmanypoundswouldhebeabletoproduce?
(b)Iftwoslavescleanedcottonbyhandfor14days,howmanypoundswouldtheybeabletoproduce?
9.
WhatwasthenegativeimpactoftheexpansionofcottonproductionintheSouth?
10. Whatwereblacksupervisorscalled?Whatwerewhitesupervisorscalled?
11. Whatjobdidmostslaveshaveontheplantations?Whatotherjobsdidslaveshave ontheplantations?
12. Whywereslavessoreligious?
13. Whatwerethewaysthatslavesgotevenwithunpopularmasters,whentheydidnotwanttoriskanopenrebellion?
14. Wholedtheslaverevoltthatcametheclosesttosuccessbeforeitwasputdown?
15. WhydidFrederickDouglass’smastersendhimtoCovey tobebroken?HowdidDouglashandlehisproblemswithCovey?
16. Douglassbecamealeadingvoiceintheabolitionistmovement– whatisanabolitionist(Inthecontextofthisreading)
17. WhatwastheUndergroundRailroad?
18. WhydidTubmanbecomeaconductortohelprunawayslavesescapetofreedomontheUndergroundRailroad?