Key term 13

Key Terms Definitions

1. Mason-Dixon Line (364)
   The boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland, symbolically dividing the free North and the slaveholding South.
   
   

2. Cotton Kingdom (364)
   Region in the Deep South (SC to TX) where cotton production and slavery dominated the economy after the invention of the cotton gin.
   
   

3. Slave Codes (366)
   Strict laws passed in Southern states to control enslaved people, ensuring total submission and prohibiting education, movement, and rebellion.
   
   

4. Miscegenation (367)
   Interracial sexual relationships; white Southerners feared it and used this fear to oppose emancipation and justify slavery.
   
   

5. Planter (370)
   A large-scale landowner who owned 20 or more enslaved people; represented only 12% of white Southerners but dominated political and economic life.
   
   

6. Plantation (370)
   A large agricultural estate typically focused on cash crops like cotton and reliant on enslaved labor; included the main house, slave quarters, and various outbuildings.
   
   

7. Paternalism (374)
   The ideology used by slaveholders to justify slavery as a system that cared for and “civilized” enslaved people, masking exploitation as benevolence.
   
   

8. Chivalry (376)
   Southern ideal of male honor and gallantry; emphasized the defense of womanhood and white supremacy, often tied to violence like dueling.
   
   

9. Yeomen (382)
   Independent small farmers who owned land but typically no slaves; they often supported slavery politically and aspired to move up socially.
   
   

10. Plantation Belt (383)
    Lowland areas in the South where plantation agriculture and slavery were most concentrated and economically dominant.
    
    

11. Upcountry (383)
    Hilly, less fertile, and less slave-dependent region; small-scale farming was common, and slavery was less practical due to terrain and climate.
    
    

12. Free Black (386)
    African Americans who were not enslaved; they faced significant legal and social restrictions, especially in the South, despite their status.
    
    

13. Emancipation (386)
    The act of freeing enslaved individuals; Southern whites feared it would lead to social upheaval and miscegenation.