A Plantation Economy Arises
Jamestown would have been a
failed colony had it not
been for the planting of
tobacco
Southern planters from the
Chesapeake Bay to Georgia
staked their livelihood on
the fertile soil & a single
cash crop-to be sold
elsewhere
In Maryland, Virginia, and
North Carolina, farmers
grew the broad green
leaves for sale
In South Carolina & Georgia,
the cash crops were rice &
indigo
A Different Type of Settlement
Throughout the South,
plantations developed
instead of towns, as in
the North
Long, deep rivers allowed
sea-going vessels to
pull right up to the
plantations
Planters then shipped
their crops directly to
the northern colonies
or Europe without
using city docks &
warehouses
A Self-Sufficient Society
Plantations produced most of what they needed on the property-no
need for shops, bakeries, markets, or towns
Charleston, South Carolina was an exception--It became one of the
busiest ports in the British empire
Nevertheless, the South developed largely as a rural & self-sufficient
society
A Diverse & Prosperous People
1700s-Large numbers of
European immigrants
came to North America
to seek a new start
The arrival of new
immigrants created a
diverse society
Thousands of Germans
settled in Maryland &
Virginia, even to South
Carolina
They raised corn, livestock,
& of course, tobacco
A wave of Scots & ScotsIrish settled mainly in
the hills of western
North Carolina
A Prosperous Society
While there were many
small farmers in the
South, the planters
controlled much of
the economy, its
politics, & social
institutions
Life was good—from
1700-1770, colonists
standards of living
rose dramatically
From 1713-1774,
tobacco exports
almost tripled from
the Chesapeake Bay
area
The Role of Women
Women North & South were
2nd-class citizens with few
legal or social rights
Women could not vote or
preach
Daughters of wealthy
Southern planters were
taught only the basics of
reading, writing, &
arithmetic
It was more useful for them to
be taught the social graces
or domestic tasks such as
canning food, sewing, &
embroidery
Most Women Were Not Planter’s Wives
The average Southern woman worked daily over a hot fire baking
bread or boiling meat
She would have to milk the cows, slaughter pigs for ham & bacon, &
tend the garden
She was expected to sew, wash clothes, & clean
Wives of plantation owners made the servants do these tasks, but all
women bowed to their husbands’ will
Indentured Servants
Indentured servants were
also low on the ladder of
Southern society
Many young white men had
traded life in prison or
poverty in Europe for a
short term of servitude in
America
Their lives in bondage were
hard, & for those who
survived, their lives
improved only slightly
Many moved to the western
outskirts of the Southern
colonies to struggle on
small farms
How Many Indentured Servants?
1630-1700—The number of
indentured servants is
estimated at 50-67% of
white immigrants
Their numbers began to
decline toward the end of
the 1600s
When reports of hardship for
servants reached Europe,
more decided to stay
home
With fewer laborers available,
Southern colonists turned
to another group: African
slaves
Slavery Becomes Entrenched
Slavery began when the
English, like the Spanish
before them, discovered
that Native Americans did
not make good slaves
Native Americans found it
easy to escape—they knew
the forests better than
their owners
With fewer indentured
servants available, the
price of a European
servant rose
African slaves were cheaper, &
people with dark skins
could not escape as easily
Africans Considered Inferior to Whites
Because Europeans thought
they were superior to
Africans, they had few
reservations about forcing
them into servitude
Africans were thought to be
better able to endure the
harsh physical demands of
hot plantation work
From 1690 to 1750, the
number of black slaves
toiling in Southern colonies
increased from 13,000 to
almost 200,000
The European Slave Trade
African slaves had been
laboring in the West
Indies on sugar
plantations for years
During the late 1600s,
English planters in
Jamaica & Barbados
imported tens of
thousands more slaves
1690-About the time of the
Salem Witch Trials, the
African population of
Barbados was 60,000—
three times that of
whites
(Remember Tituba was
from Barbados)
A Trade System for Slavery
1700s-Africans were part
of a transatlantic trade
network called the
Triangular Trade
Ships carried rum & other
goods from New
England to Africa, in
exchange for slaves
Slaves were transported to
the West Indies & sold
for sugar
Sugar was taken to New
England & made into
rum
The trade network also
included furs, fruit, tar,
& tobacco to Europe
Africa to America
The journey aboard ship from Africa
to the West Indies was the most
horrible experience ever
Some of the African slaves, a small
percentage, would be resold to
North American planters
This so-called Middle Passage was
characterized by sickening
cruelty, beginning when Africans
were captured by enemies black
& white
They were then taken to coastal
ports
The Passage to America
Once at an African port or fort,
European traders branded
Africans with red-hot irons &
packed them into large ships
Africans fell victim to beatings as
well as diseases in the close
quarters below deck
The smell of blood, sweat, &
human waste filled the hold as
Africans lived in their own
vomit
Some decided to commit suicideso on a good trip, only 20% of
potential slaves died
Slavery in the South
80-90% of Africans arriving
in North America were
put to work in the fields
The white plantation owner
directed their labor
through field bosses,
but on smaller farms,
slaves worked alongside
their owners
Slave owners beat &
whipped slaves they
thought were
disobedient or
disrespectful
Virginia courts did not
consider slave owners
guilt of murder for
killing a slave during
punishment
Some Had Valuable Jobs
10-20% of slaves worked in
the owner’s house as
servants
They cooked, cleaned, &
raised the master’s
children
Owners often treated them
with equal cruelty to that
given to field hands
Other slaves with skills, such
as carpenters, blacksmiths,
& bricklayers, might be
rented out to work on
other plantations
Africans Cope-Culture & Family
Despite the terrible
experiences of the Middle
Passage, Africans found a
way to survive & thrive
Enslaved people wove
baskets & made pottery
just like they had back
home
They kept alive their musical
traditions & retold the
stories of their ancestors
Whenever owners broke up
families by selling slaves,
other slaves would step in
to raise any children left
behind
Surviving America
1700s-South Carolina &
Georgia planters
imported large
numbers of Africans
who had experience in
growing rice
They continued to bring
with them important
customs such as the
ring shout
Variations of this circular
religious dance paid
tribute to ancestors &
gods
It usually involved loud
chants & quick,
circular steps-a ritual
the white colonists
were unable to
eradicate
Resistance & Revolt
There were many ways for
Africans to fight back
against the cruelty they
experienced
Colonial planters reported
slaves faked illnesses,
broke tools, or engaged
in work slowdowns
Some slaves tried open
revolt-as in South
Carolina in September,
1739
Fighting Back
Some 20 slaves picked up weapons during the Stono Rebellion, killing several planter
families
They marched south, beating drums & loudly inviting other slaves to join them in
escaping to Spanish-held Florida
A white militia soon surrounded the slaves, & after a fight, the slaves were captured
& executed
The rebellion caused new laws tightening harsh slave laws already in place
Fugitive Slaves
Despite the punishment that escape attempts brought, slaves
continued running away
From 1736-1801, at least 1279 enslaved men & women took flight
Many took refuge with Native American tribes & intermarried with
them
The South became ever more dependent on the use of African slavery
Their agriculture economy differed from that of the commercial North
Who’s On Top in the South?
Plantation owners-controlled
the South’s economy, politics,
& society
Small farmers, the majority of the population
of the South
Women, who had limited legal, political, & social rights
Indentured servants, who had virtually no rights while in bondage;
became small farmers at the end of their term of service
African slaves, who formed the economic base of the South’s economy; in
many places they outnumbered whites
Who’s On Top in the South?