Life in Southern America during the 1800s was dominated by "King Cotton." After the invention of the cotton gin, African American slaves were needed in greater numbers to meet the demands in cotton products. Cotton would shape the Southern economy, culture, and way of life.
Watch this video about life in the South and take notes.
During the 1700s, very little cotton was manufactured as removing the cotton seeds was a great task. It took a major amount of labor to remove the seeds which was a difficult task. All this changed when Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin. This device removed the seeds from the cotton with relative ease. Prior to this invention, it took nearly ten hours to produce a pound of cotton. With the cotton gin, a thousand pounds could be produced in a year. As power looms were invented and were able to produce the cloth, the demand for cotton increased. The world began to demand more cotton products. Prior to the invention of the cotton gin, leaders began to believe slavery would dissolve. However, with the invention, the need for new slaves in the South increased greatly. "King Cotton" became the foundation of Southern economy, culture, and pride.
The life of an enslaved person in the South was different per plantation. Most worked from sunup to sundown six days a week. They were provided with very little or poor quality food. Most lived in small shacks with dirt floors. Some plantations hired an overseer. This man was solely responsible for making sure the slaves worked and was often very cruel. Overseers would usually use any means possible to get the most work from the slaves. This included atrocities that went far beyond beatings. Large plantations used domestic slaves as well to work in the homes. These people were usually treated more fairly and were fed better food. The domestic slaves did not associate with the field slaves.
With an increase in slavery, many states needed to pass "slave codes." These were the specific rights of slaves and their treatment. They were different in each state. In all, the slaves were the explicit property of those who purchased them. They could be wagered, offered for loans, and transferred as gifts. Slaves were found as incompetent and could not be a witness in a legal case involving a white person. Education was prohibited. If found to be educating, especially reading and writing, they could serve six months in jail. Marriage between slaves was not legal, and the owners of the slaves could split up families by selling individuals. Rape of slave women was not illegal and was common on the plantation.
Early American Southern life was modeled from the English countryside. Social class, politics, and labor was defined by tobacco in the early years. The planter took himself to be a country gentleman. They had a code of behavior that guided economics, etiquette, literature, and even how they dressed. By the mid-1800s, cotton began to dominate Southern life and the life of a Southerner was found more in South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi.
This Southern code spelled out how men and women in the South should behave. The gentlemen had to be courteous, truthful, and honorable. He should be classically trained. They needed to be hospitable. The men were supposed to have great respect for family and treat women with high regard. They were responsible for defending the family name. If the family was insulted, he would fight, usually in a duel. The Southern woman needed to be gracious and entertaining. She was not supposed to be too outspoken.
Not all African Americans in the South were slaves. Many were able to achieve their freedom even before slavery was abolished. Most free blacks lived along with the slavery in the South. By 1860, there was an estimated 1.5 million free blacks in Southern states. There were different ways a slave could achieve their freedom. Some bought their freedom, but this became rare moving into the 1800s. Some gained their freedom through manumission or the voluntary freedom of a slave by the owner. Some slaves were freed as the abolitionist movement advanced. Some African Americans escaped to free states.
Free blacks did not receive the same rights as whites. Free blacks in some states were prohibited from possessing firearms, preaching the Bible, and even receiving an education. The slave codes still applied even to the freed slaves.
Use the flashcards activity below to review what you have learned about life in the South.
What was invented to remove seeds from cotton, creating a higher demand for cotton?
Eli Whitney's cotton gin
What was created to outline the "legal rights" of enslaved peoples?
slave codes
The Southern gentleman was supposed to be _____.
courteous, truthful, and honorable.
True of False: Free blacks received the same rights as their white counterparts.
false
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