2110.19 Chapter 13 History

Chapters Overview

• Chapters 11 and 12 focus on the Ante-Bellum United States, highlighting key themes in the agricultural economy, slavery dynamics, political tensions, and influential historical figures.

Agricultural Economy of the South

• Structure of Society

  • Only 12% of the population were planters (farmers owning more than 20 slaves) but dominated the southern economy.

• Cash Crops:

  • Major crops included:

    • Tobacco

    • Sugar

    • Rice

    • Cotton

  • Sugar production began on a large scale in Louisiana in 1795, requiring intensive labor.

  • Rice production was mainly situated along the coasts of South Carolina and Georgia.

  • Nearly all planters also grew cotton alongside other crops.

Visual Representation

• Tobacco Crop on Wessyngton Plantation, TN, exemplifying the agricultural practices of the South.

Slave Trade and Population Statistics

• The Second Middle Passage:

  • In 1808, the U.S. banned the importation of slaves, leading to a growth in the native-born slave population.

  • By 1850, the number of slaves grew from 2 million in 1790 to 4 million by 1860, with most being native-born Southerners.

• Slave Ownership:

  • Approximately 400,000 families, about 8% of the total U.S. population, owned slaves by 1860.

Life in the New Slave South

• Most slaves worked on plantations producing crops such as hemp, wheat, rice, corn, sugar, tobacco, and cotton.

• Families formed networks of "fictive kin" to cope with the harsh realities of slavery.

• There was a wide variance in plantation life, ranging from benevolence to cruelty.

• Political Elements:

  • Both Whig and Democratic parties supported slavery, yet the demographics of their constituents varied greatly.

Historical Figures in Abolition

• Harriet Tubman (1822-1913):

  • Notable abolitionist and humanitarian, served as a Union spy and played a key role in the Underground Railroad.

• Frederick Douglass (1818-1895):

  • Born a slave in Maryland, he published Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave in 1845.

• Harriet Beecher Stowe (1804-1864):

  • Author of Uncle Tom's Cabin in 1854, which sold over 6 million copies and helped spark anti-slavery sentiments.

Political Landscape: The Election of 1848

• Popular Sovereignty:

  • Candidates included:

    • Democrat Lewis Cass

    • Free-Soil candidate Martin Van Buren

    • Whig candidate Zachary Taylor, who won due to his popularity.

• Taylor's platform avoided the slavery issue while being a known slave owner himself.

Key Legislation

• Henry Clay's Compromise (1850):

  • A series of resolutions addressing slavery issues:

    • California admitted as a free state.

    • Texas ceded land claims with compensation.

    • Slavery permitted in D.C. but domestic slave trade abolished.

    • Enactment of a stricter Fugitive Slave Law.

• Impact of the Compromise:

  • Both Northerners and Southerners expressed discontent, leading to resistance from Free-Soilers and Southern voters.

Republican Party Formation

• Emerged in response to the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, uniting various groups opposed to the Act:

  • Northern Whigs, Northern Democrats, Free-Soilers, and abolitionists.

• Core Values (1854):

  • Advocated for free labor, free soil, and a free North.

  • Belief that the South was an aristocratic society restricting economic opportunities for the common white.