APUSH I Final Exam Chapter11

“Upper”/“lower South”

• Upper South: Original southern states along the Atlantic coast like Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina.

• Economy historically relied on tobacco cultivation, which was unstable

• Began shifting to wheat cultivation as tobacco moved westward

• Lower South: Expanding agricultural regions in new Southwest states

• Dominated by short-staple cotton cultivation, which spread quickly and became highly profitable

• This shift reflected the growing economic power moving from Upper South to Lower South

Cotton gin

• Machine that efficiently removed seeds from short-staple cotton

• Made large-scale cotton cultivation profitable

• Led to rapid expansion of cotton production in the Lower South

“King Cotton”

• Phrase used by Southern politicians to express the dominance of cotton in the Southern economy

• Cotton became the most lucrative crop in the South, overshadowing rice, sugar, tobacco, and long-staple cotton

• Growth of cotton economy also increased the number of enslaved people in the South

Antebellum

• Period in the South before the Civil War (roughly late 18th century to 1861)

• Characterized by plantation economy, reliance on slavery, and growing sectional divisions

• Southern society structured around planter aristocracy, “Cavalier” culture, and cotton economy

Planter aristocracy

• Wealthy landowning elite at the top of Southern society

• Owned large plantations, 40+ enslaved people, and produced cash crops like cotton, rice, sugar, and tobacco

• Controlled political, economic, and social life in their regions

• Lived in large houses, had vast incomes, and avoided trade/commerce

• Somewhat mythologized as inheritors of old European aristocracy

• Their lifestyle was risky and competitive; maintaining status was difficult

• Though admired, many were new and insecure elites

• Avoided trade and commerce

• Defended slavery strongly, especially in the Lower South

Preston Brooks

• South Carolina senator known for violently defending Southern honor

• Beat Massachusetts senator Charles Sumner with a cane on the Senate floor in retaliation for Sumner insulting a relative

• Action was celebrated in the South as an example of defending honor, but condemned in the North as barbaric

Charles Sumner

• Massachusetts senator and abolitionist

• Victim of Preston Brooks’ Senate attack

• Represented Northern criticism of Southern code of honor and perceived violence

Harriett Beecher Stowe

• Author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

• Highlighted the life of the degraded Southern underclass, including the “Crackers.”

•  Influenced Northern perceptions of Southern society and slavery.

“Peculiar institution”

• Term used by Southerners to describe slavery

• Meant that slavery was special to the South, not odd

• South was largely isolated in its practice of slavery compared to the rest of the Western world

• Created racial divisions and social separation between whites and Africans

Slave codes

• Laws governing enslaved people in Southern states

• Restricted enslaved people from owning property, leaving plantation without permission, congregating, carrying firearms, striking whites, and learning to read/write

• Enslaved people had no legal rights to testify against whites

• Enforcement varied; some slaveholders allowed flexibility, not always strictly enforced

• Designed to maintain control and enforce racial hierarchy

International slave trade

• Trade of enslaved Africans from Africa to the Americas before the U.S. banned it

• Transport conditions were brutal, leading to high mortality rates

• Even after federal law banned importation, some smuggling continued

• Example: Amistad incident involved enslaved Africans being transported illegally from Cuba

Free African Americans

• Individuals who were no longer enslaved in the South; about 200,000 lived in slaveholding states

• Many were formerly enslaved and earned money to support themselves, often in urban areas

• Faced legal restrictions, social discrimination, and limited economic opportunities

• Some free Africans owned property or even family members as slaves to secure freedom

Nat Turner

• Enslaved preacher who led a slave rebellion in Virginia in 1831

• His group killed 60 whites before federal troops stopped the revolt

• Over 100 enslaved people were executed afterward

• Only large-scale 19th-century slave rebellion in the South but caused widespread fear

Abolitionism

• Movement to end slavery, primarily in the North

• Contributed to Southern fears of rebellion and resistance

• Sympathetic whites helped enslaved people escape via the Underground Railroad

“Manumission”

• Legal act by which a slaveholder freed an enslaved person

• Became increasingly restricted in Southern states due to fear of rebellion and growth of free African communities

• Often prevented free Africans from entering the state

Emancipation

• Broader concept of freeing enslaved people from slavery

• Could occur through manumission, purchase of freedom, or posthumous provisions in a will

• Rare in the antebellum South due to restrictive laws

Slave markets/trade

• Enslaved people were bought and sold, often separated from families

• Domestic slave trade moved people from older states to new cotton lands

• Transport could be by foot in coffles (shorter distances) or by river/ocean steamers (longer distances)

• Dehumanizing aspect of slavery and vital to Southern economic growth

Amistad

• Spanish ship transporting enslaved Africans from Cuba to another part of Cuba

• Enslaved people revolted and took control of the ship

• Intended to return to Africa but lacked navigation skills

• Ship sailed up the Atlantic coast and was captured by an American vessel

• Case became a major legal issue over the illegal foreign slave trade

• President Martin Van Buren wanted them returned to Cuba, but John Quincy Adams argued before the Supreme Court that they were illegally enslaved

• The court ruled in favor of the Africans; most were returned to Africa.

Martin Van Buren

• U.S. President who wanted the Amistad Africans returned to Cuba despite the illegality of the foreign slave trade

Gabriel Prosser

• Enslaved man who planned a large revolt near Richmond, Virginia

• Gathered about 1,000 enslaved people

• Revolt was betrayed by two Africans

• Authorities stopped the revolt before it began

• Prosser and others were executed

Denmark Vesey

• Free African American in Charleston who organized a planned rebellion of 9,000 people

• Plot was discovered before it could occur (loyal, enslaved men revealed the plan to their owners)

• Vesey and followers were executed

• Increased white Southern fears of rebellion

Underground Railroad

• Network assisting enslaved people in escaping to the North or Canada

• Relied on sympathetic whites and free African Americans

• Escapes were difficult due to:

  • Long distances

  • Lack of geographic knowledge

  • Odds of success were very low

  • Southern enforcement like slave patrols