Key Concepts of Antebellum America

Established a structured process for admitting new states to the Union.
Key Features:
- Defined the Northwest Territory.
- Included land areas that eventually became states: Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and others.
- First Area Survey including the Seven Ranges.
- Each township was 36 square miles with Sections that could be sold or used for public purposes, notably Section 16 reserved for educational support.

A pivotal agreement that attempted to balance the power between slave and free states.
Key Components:
- Ceded areas to Great Britain in 1818 and the Adams-Onís Treaty Line established the boundaries.
- Missouri Compromise Line at 36°30'; above this line, states would be free, below would allow slavery.
- Resulted in the creation of free territories and slave states within the U.S.:
- Free states: Maine, California, and others.
- Slave states included Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, etc.

Primarily agrarian economy.
Economic power shifted from the “Upper South” to the “Lower South.”
Prominence of cotton production leading to the phrase “Cotton is King!”
- By 1860, 5 million bales were produced annually, amounting to 57% of total U.S. exports.
Industrialization developed very slowly.
Financial systems were rudimentary and often lacked sophistication.

Component Structure:
- “Slavocracy” composed of plantation owners.
- “Plain Folk” identified as white yeoman farmers.
- Total population in the South was approximately 23 million, of which 9.25 million (40%) resided in the South.
- Composition included 6 million Black freemen and 3.2 million enslaved individuals.

Visual Representation:
- Percentages of slaves, free African-Americans, and whites in various states reflected a significant demographic imbalance in Southern society, for example:
- Virginia: 20% slaves, 80% whites.
- Mississippi: 55% slaves, 44% whites.

Major Agricultural Regions and Products:
- Sea-island cotton, short-fiber cotton, tobacco, rice, sugar, corn, and hemp.
- The Southern economy was deeply rooted in agriculture, particularly in cotton, which demanded vast amounts of land and slave labor.

Geographic Distribution of Cotton Production from 1820 to 1860:
- Illustrates the increasing spread of cotton farming into states like Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana.
- Areas noted for production included sea-island cotton in the coastal regions.

A demographic breakdown of slaveholding included:
- 64% of the population were nonslaveholders.
- About 18% owned 5 or fewer slaves.
- 15.5% owned between 5 to 50 slaves.
- 2.5% owned 50 or more slaves.

The Culture of Slavery:
- Black Christianity significantly influenced the spirituality and practices of enslaved persons, emphasizing emotional worship and negro spirituals.
- Family structures among enslaved individuals often approximated nuclear families, with extended kin networks where possible.
- Music, particularly spirituals had profound importance in the lives of enslaved people, serving as a source of comfort and unity.

Notable Rebellions:
- Gabriel Prosser (1800).
- Denmark Vesey (1822).
- Nat Turner (1831) characterized as a horrid massacre in Virginia.

Specific quilt patterns served as coded messages:
- The Monkey Wrench pattern indicated preparation, while the Drunkard’s Path warned against linear routes for escape.

Representations of slave auction notices.
- Example: An 1823 auction in Richmond advertised 10 likely and valuable slaves for sale.
- Economic reliance on the slave trade was emphasized through auction practices.