Study
forSocial
Skills
Science
Chapter2
Slaveryand the CottonKingdom
With Southernexpansionand spreadof the Cotton Kingdom, the issue of slavery
tragically separatedthe North and Souttr. In this chapter,you will leam about the
expansionof thecottonkingdomandaboutsurvivalof slaveryin theSouth.You'll also
leamabouttheMissouricrisisendingin theMissouriCompromisewhich
clearlyshowed
how the issueof slaverycould threatenthe future of the FederalUnion.
How the CottonKingdomExpanded
ExpanilinginlotheSouthweslTheCottonKingdom
spreadwestwardfromVirginiaand
theCarolinasto Alabama,Mississippi,andLouisiana.The majorityof earlysettlersin
theseareaswerefrom virginia andthe carolinas. They knew how cottonplanterswere
makinga fortune,especiallyin SouthCarolinaandGeorgia.They too triedcultivating
cotton. By theearly1800's,theCottonKingdomhadspreadwestward.
Growingin economicimportance,After1815,cottonbecamemostimporlanteconomicallyin theSouth.Investments
in newcottonlandsandslavesbroughthigherreturns
than
anyfting else.
During thenextfew decadescottonwasa crucialfactorin thedevelopingnationalmarket
economy.Itaccountedformorethanhalfofthecountry'sexports.
Asaresult,itpaidfor
a largepart of its imports. The cottonplantationsalsoprovidedan importantmarketfor
manufacturedgoodsfrom the Northeast.
Survival of Slaveryin the South
GeneraldifferencesbetweentheSouthand otherareas.Therewereat leastfive overall
differencesbetweenpeoplein the Southand thosein other areas. First, few Southem
farmersbenefittedfrom improvedtransportationor becamepart of.the nationalmarket
economy.Second,wealthwasnotasevenlydistributedin theSouthasit waselsewhere.
Third,lessmon0ywasinvestedineducationintheSouth.
Fourth,therateofilliteracywas
higherin the Souththanelsewhere.Illiteracy meansinability to readand write well
enoughto functionsuccessfully
in society.Fifth, fewertownsandlocal industrieshad
developed
in theSouth.In short,theOld Southremainedmoreruralandlessdiversified
economicallythan the North. A greaterproportion of is small farmerslived a life of
isolation.
1A?
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Major dffirence betweenthe Southand otherareas. A majordifferencebetweenthe
Southandotherareaswasthesurvivalof negroslaveryin theSouth.Slaveshadgiventhe
old Southits identity. At thesametime,theygavethewhiteSouthemers
theirfeelingof
from therestof theUnion.
separateness
Reasonsforsumivalof slavery.By thel9th Century,slaveryhadbecomea partof the
Also,mostSouthernenheldthsblackslavesinlowesteem.
Southernsocialclimate.
They
tttoughtblacksto beshiftlessanduntrustworthy.Onemajorreasonslaverysurvivedthere
was that it was a way to conrol what Southemersthoughto be an inferior race.
Southemers
thoughtslaverywouldpreventttratracefrom becominga burdenon society.
It would allow thewhiteraceto maintainsupremacy.
Another major reasonthat slaverysurvivedis that it was a profitable labor system. It
represented
a hugeinvestmentof Southerncapital. Most slaveownersearnedgood
retumson theirinvestments.
Missouri and the Issueof SlaveryExpansion
Bventsleading to the Missouri Compromise.In time, slaveryhada tragic impacton the
wholenation. Certaineventsled to theMissouriCompromisewhichclearlypointedout
how the issueof slaverycouldseriouslythreatentheFederalUnion. First, slaveryhad
beena topicof politicaldebatefor manyyearsbetweentheNorthandSouth.Southerners
hadobtainedCongressional
representation,
for example,on 3/5 of their slaves. Also,
antislaveryNorthernersrepresented
theFugitiveSlaveAct of 1793.Then,the issueof
slaverybecameeven
moreimportantwiththesteadymarchof slaveryino theSouthwest.
Moreandmorenationalpoliticalcrisesarosewith theexpansion
of slaveryandthecotton
kingdom. In theearlyl9th Century ll slavestatesandll freestateswereadmittedto the
Union, so balancewasstill presentin theSenate.Next,however,balancein ttreSenate
was upset;the territoryof Missourisoughtadmissionas a slavestate. Following that
request there was much serious debate. Much of the Missouri debatewas about
constitutionalissues.Politicaladvantages
andsectionalpowerplayeda big pat in the
conflict.Finally,acompromise
wasreached;
thebasicissueof slaverycouldnotbesettled
throughthe debate.
Aspectsof the Missouri Compromise.Agreementwasreachedon specificitemsin the
hnallyagreedin 1820to admitMissouriasa slave
MissouriCompromise.First,Congress
state.Second,Congressmaintainedbalanceby admittingMaineasa freestate.Third,
alongtheline
Congress
dividedtheremaining
territoryacquiredin theLouisianaPurchase
36' 30'North Latitude. North of that line, exceptfor Missouri,slaverywas "forever
prohibited." SeeFigure2-1. Slaverywasstill permittedin the statessouthof thatline.
Study
Skills
forSocial
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Figure2-1. The Missouri Compromise,1820
I
urvspcANrzED
,;t
"Trt*l"#"
.
tiipr.-:
tto*'oo
l,'u.:
From:IohnBlum,EdwardS.Morgan,Willie l,eeRose,AflhurM.
Schelesinger,
KennethStamps,
andC. VanWoodward,
National
Experlence:
A Hlstoryof theUnltedStateg4thEdition(Orlando:
Harcourt
BraceJovanovich,
1979). p. I 96.Reprinted
bypermission
of thepublisher.
Result. As a resultof ttreMissouricrisis,Americansbecamequite worriedaboutthe
future of theFederalunion. Neverbeforehadconflict behileenthe North andthe South
seemedso great. Slaveryhad detinitely distubed the politics and had threatenedthe
survivalof theyoungrepublic. Suchdisturbance
wasapparentduringthis crisis.
Summary
By theearlyl9th CenturytheCottonKingdomhadexpandedinto theSouthwest.Those
in theSouthwest
andthosewhomovedto theSouthwest
acquiredanidentityseparate
from
thosein other areas. The major differencebetweenthe Southand other areaswas the
continuedpresence
of negroslaveryin theSouth. Slaverysurvivedtherebecause
it had
becomedeeplyrootedin the Southemsocialclimate. Also, slaverywas obviouslya
profitablelaborsystem.Much politicaldebateensuedbetweenthe North and Southas
territorieswereadmittedinto theUnion. At hrst,balancewasmaintainedbetweenslave
andfreestates.Balancewasthenthreatened
whenMissourisoughtadmissionasa slave
state.Thiseventresulted
in theMissouridebate.TheMissouriCompromisewasfinally
reached.At the sametime,tensionclearlyincreased
betweentheNorth andthe South.
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