OS Ch 12: Cotton is King: The Antebellum South, 1800-1860

Cotton Gin

In 1793, Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, revolutionizing cotton production by separating seeds from fibers, making it 50 times more efficient than handpicking.

King Cotton

Southern leaders believed cotton could be a decisive factor in conflicts, with Britain heavily reliant on Southern cotton for its textile mills.

Proportion of Southerners who owned slaves

Only 25% of Southerners owned slaves, with the poor supporting slavery to move up socially and economically.

Domestic Slave Trade

The U.S. domestic slave trade, known as the Second Middle Passage, exceeded the trans-Atlantic trade in volume.

Racism in the North regarding freedmen

Free blacks faced discrimination in the North, with some states denying them rights and opportunities.

Charles Deslondes

Led the largest slave revolt in American history in 1811, with around 500 slaves marching towards New Orleans before being defeated.

Nat Turner’s Rebellion (1831)

Nat Turner led a slave rebellion in Virginia, resulting in the deaths of almost sixty whites and harsher treatment of slaves.

Frederick Douglass

A self-educated former slave turned abolitionist and advocate for women's rights, known for his powerful speeches and writings.

Proportion of Southerners who owned slaves

Only 25% of Southerners owned slaves, with poor non-slaveholders supporting slavery for social and economic reasons.

Slavery as a Necessary Evil

Initially seen as declining, the cotton gin's invention revived slavery, leading to increased slave numbers in the South.

Slavery as a Positive Good

Some defended slavery as beneficial, claiming it civilized and uplifted blacks, and was essential for Southern prosperity and culture.

Ostend Manifesto (1854)

A secret dispatch proposing the U.S. buy Cuba from Spain to expand slave territory, angering the North and ultimately disavowed by President Pierce.

William Walker and Nicaragua (1856)

Briefly controlled Nicaragua, legalizing slavery before being overthrown by a coalition of Central American nations.