Antebellum South, Beliefs about Slavery Flashcards
Major class divisions of white southerners:
Elite Southerners: These were typically wealthy plantation owners who held significant political, economic, and social power. They believed in the preservation and expansion of slavery as it was essential to their economic prosperity.
Major class divisions of white southerners:
Yeomen: Yeomen were small farmers who owned their land but had less wealth and influence compared to the elite. They often aspired to become plantation owners and supported the institution of slavery, although they might not directly benefit from it.
Major class divisions of white southerners:
Poor White Southerners: This group comprised landless whites who struggled financially. They had little to no stake in slavery and were often marginalized within Southern society.
Importance of cash crop agriculture, particularly the rising influence of cotton:
Cash crop agriculture, especially cotton, was the economic backbone of the antebellum South. The cultivation of cotton became increasingly dominant due to technological advancements like the cotton gin and rising demand for cotton textiles in industrialized nations.
Importance of cash crop agriculture, particularly the rising influence of cotton:
The “Cotton Boom” led to the expansion of plantation slavery as large-scale cotton cultivation required vast labor forces.
Changes in the institution of slavery over time:
Slavery evolved from a primarily labor system to a deeply entrenched social and economic institution. The expansion of cotton cultivation intensified the demand for slave labor, leading to the internal/domestic slave trade, where slaves were bought and sold within the South.
Changes in the institution of slavery over time:
The increasing reliance on slavery widened the ideological divide between the North and the South, ultimately contributing to the outbreak of the Civil War.
Patterns of slave life, work, and culture:
Enslaved Americans endured harsh working conditions on plantations, performing labor-intensive tasks such as planting, cultivating, and harvesting crops.
Patterns of slave life, work, and culture:
Despite their oppression, enslaved people developed rich cultural traditions and forms of resistance, including spirituals, folk tales, and acts of rebellion like escape and sabotage.
New arguments justifying slavery and their impact:
Pro-slavery advocates like James Henry Hammond argued that slavery was a positive good, benefiting both enslaved people and society at large. They justified slavery using racist ideologies and economic justifications, claiming that African Americans were inherently inferior and suited for servitude.
New arguments justifying slavery and their impact:
These arguments bolstered support for slavery among Southern elites and exacerbated tensions between North and South.
New arguments against slavery, including free soil and radical abolition:
Free soil advocates opposed the expansion of slavery into new territories, fearing its economic and political implications.
New arguments against slavery, including free soil and radical abolition:
Radical abolitionists like William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass, and Harriet Beecher Stowe condemned slavery as a moral evil, calling for its immediate abolition.
New arguments against slavery, including free soil and radical abolition:
Their writings and activism helped galvanize opposition to slavery in the North and fueled the growth of the abolitionist movement, contributing to the eventual abolition of slavery in the United States.
