nature of slavery

who were Quakers

often protestants who condemned slavery as morally wrong

members of the religious society of friends committed to pacifism

how many bales of cotton were produced in 1790

9,000 bales of cotton

who invented the cotton gin

eli whitney in 1793

revolutionised southern agriculture

king cotton

ensured slavery survived and thrived

how many bales of cotton were produced per year in the 1830’s

2 million bales per year

peculiar institution

southerners referred to slavery as this

what does emancipation mean

setting slaves free

what did most abolitionists support in the early 1800’s

gradual emancipation

freed slaves should return to africa

usa purchasing liberia - what happened

1822 - us purchased liberia as a base to return ex-slaves

only 10,000 african americans went there by 1860

most ex-slaves didn’t want to go there as they had never been to africa

William Lloyd Garrison

published ‘The Liberator’ in 1831, an abolitionist journal

abolitionist who said slavery is a sin and wanted immediate abolition

National Anti-Slavery Society

established in 1833

by 1838 had 250,000 members

also consisted of women and african americans, some ex-slaves like Frederick Douglas

organised petitions to congress

what was the ‘Gag Rule’

introduced by congress in 1836

abolitionist petitions could not be discussed

tried to prevent north-south divisions

abolitionism in the north

many northerners feared the effects of abolition

anti-slavery meetings and abolitionist printing press were often broken up by northerners

Elijah Lovejoy

1837 - became the first abolitionist martyr when he was murdered by a mob in Illinois

Liberty party

abolitionists didn’t get support from whigs or democrat parties so set up their own

1840 - presidential candidate only won 7,000 votes

wasn’t supported by all abolitionists

Nat Turner

1831 - led a slave revolt which killed 55 white people (mostly women + children)

southerners blamed abolitionists in the north

how many slaves were in the south in 1860

1860 - nearly 4 million slaves in the south

slaves outnumbered white people in South Carolina

how many families owned slaves in the south

1850 - 1 in 3

1860 - 1 in 4

worried southern politicians who thought that the south would be united if everyone owned a slave

how many slaves did people own

1860 - 50% slave owners owned up to 5 slaves

50% slaves lived on plantations with over 20 slaves

where did slaves work

50% cotton production

10% tobacco

10% sugar

15% domestic servants

free black people

1860 - 250,000 free black people in the South

but had to carry documentation proving they were free and were at risk of being enslaved and had no political rights

200,000 black people lived in the North

but segregation was normal, they had the worst jobs and only 3 states allowed them to vote

why could you argue slavery was bad for southern economy

poor work ethic - no prospects of promotions, or pay rises, slaves did bare minimum to not get punished

would be better to invest in transport or manufacturing not slaves

meant South depended on cotton, opposed industrialisation

North took most of the profit

why was being a slave ‘not so bad’

didn’t work harder than most americans, received days off, also didn’t work on sundays, slaves who worked hard got more days off, better clothing and more food

slave population increased at the same rate as white population, by 1860 lived almost as long as white people

most small children were kept with their mothers

rarely slave suicides

no major slave revolts - besides Nat Turner - suggests conditions weren’t that bad

slaves could be granted freedom, or purchase freedom themselves

why was being a slave bad

slave owners had unlimited power + very disciplined

worked longer hours to receive less

poor diet - vitamin deficiency

illegal in some states for them to be able to read or write

manumission (freeing a slave) was very rare

a major revolt was impossible to organise + described as a mass suicide

almost impossible to escape, especially with others like family, underground railroad was not well organised + they could still be returned