Chapter 13 Key Terms

Chivalry

A social code of honor emphasizing masculinity, honor, and protection of women, prevalent in the South.

Cotton

A major cash crop that was the foundation of the Southern economy, especially after the invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney.

Cotton Kingdom

Term describing the South’s economy centered around cotton production, heavily reliant on slave labor.

Defense of Slavery

Justification of slavery as a moral, economic, and social system deemed a positive good by Southern advocates.

Emancipation

The act of freeing enslaved individuals, notably linked to the U.S. Civil War and Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation.

Free Black

African Americans who were not enslaved, facing legal and social discrimination, particularly in the South.

Mason-Dixon Line

Geographic boundary symbolizing the divide between free and slave states established in the 19th century.

Miscegenation

Intermarriage or sexual relations between different races, particularly controversial in the South.

Nat Turner

An enslaved African American who led a violent slave rebellion in 1831 in Virginia.

Paternalism

The belief that slave owners were benevolent guardians of slaves, justifying slavery as mutual care.

Plantation Belt

Region in the South dominated by large plantations, central to cotton production and the plantation system.

Planter/Plantation

A wealthy slave owner who operated a large estate for cash crop farming, particularly in the South.

Sectionalism

The growing divide between Northern and Southern states due to economic and political differences over slavery.

Slave Codes

Laws defining the status of slaves and the rights of owners, restricting enslaved individuals' freedoms.

Yeoman Farmer

A small independent farmer in the South who did not own slaves, often competing with large plantations.