Chivalry: A social code of honor that emphasized the virtues of masculinity, honor, and protection of women, which was particularly prevalent in the South. This code was often used to justify the social hierarchy, including the institution of slavery, and the paternalistic relationships between masters and slaves.
Cotton: A major cash crop that became the foundation of the Southern economy, particularly after the invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney. Cotton production boomed in the early 19th century, and the crop became vital for both the domestic and international textile industries.
Cotton Kingdom: The term used to describe the South’s economy, which was centered around cotton production, particularly in states like Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, and Georgia. The region's economy was heavily dependent on slave labor to grow and harvest cotton.
Defense of Slavery: The justification of slavery as a moral, economic, and social system. Southern pro-slavery advocates defended slavery as a positive good, arguing that it benefited both enslaved people and their masters, and that it was essential to the Southern economy and society.
Emancipation: The act of freeing enslaved individuals. This term is often associated with the abolition of slavery, particularly in the context of the U.S. Civil War, when President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863.
Free Black: African Americans who were not enslaved. While a small minority in the South, free blacks lived in both the North and South, and their lives were marked by legal and social discrimination. Many free blacks in the South had limited rights and faced constant threat of being re-enslaved.
Mason-Dixon Line: A geographic boundary that was originally surveyed between Pennsylvania and Maryland in the 1760s, it became symbolic as the dividing line between free states and slave states during the 19th century, particularly following the Missouri Compromise of 1820.
Miscegenation: The intermarriage or sexual relations between people of different races, particularly between black and white individuals. In the South, laws and social norms were heavily hostile to miscegenation, and it was a controversial and racially charged issue.
Nat Turner: An enslaved African American who led a violent slave rebellion in 1831 in Southampton County, Virginia. The rebellion, which resulted in the deaths of about 60 white people, led to harsh reprisals against slaves and free blacks in the region and increased fears of slave uprisings.
Paternalism: The idea that slave owners viewed themselves as benevolent guardians of their slaves, often justifying slavery as a system in which masters took care of their slaves' needs in exchange for their labor. This was part of the Southern defense of slavery.
Plantation Belt: A region in the South where large plantations dominated the economy, particularly along the Gulf Coast and the Mississippi River. It was the heart of cotton production and the center of the plantation system that relied on enslaved labor.
Planter/Plantation: A "planter" referred to a wealthy slave owner who owned a large number of enslaved people and a plantation, which was a large estate dedicated to cash crop farming, most notably cotton, tobacco, or sugar. Planters were the elite class in the South and controlled much of the region’s economy and politics.
Sectionalism: The growing divide between the Northern and Southern states in the U.S., driven by economic, social, and political differences, particularly over the issue of slavery. Sectionalism became one of the central issues leading up to the Civil War.
Slave Codes: A set of laws that defined the status of slaves and the rights of slave owners. These codes restricted the movements and rights of enslaved individuals, prohibiting them from learning to read, leaving their masters’ land, or marrying without permission, among other restrictions.
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