HIstory 1301 Unit Two Topic 11

w/ prof. tomaselli @ grayson college

southern economy

southern economy

mostly agriculture, self-sustaining food supply w/ “King Cotton” as #1 cash crop

cotton gin

invented by Eli Whitney w/intent to reduce slavery, eased and sped up cotton harvesting and led to expansion of cotton and increase in slavery

slave owners

• 10-15% of free south

• most owned 1-5 slaves, wealthiest had 20-100

• people in Southern power/politics almost always had slaves

non-slave owning whites

• 35-40% of free south

• lower middle class, sustenance farmers

• much poorer and numerous than slave owners

free blacks

• 1% of free south

• former slaves and POC born free

• lived in upper South cities (some wealthy but mostly poor city workers)

Black Codes

set of discriminatory laws meant to limit rights of freed black men

• denied most rights of citizenship, couldn’t work in jobs where ideas were shared or developed

• forced to carry “Freedom Papers” proving freedom to show anyone who asked

characteristics common in lives of all slaves

1. physical exploitation

2. punishment