life under slavery

Question 1

how was being black othered in early America?

Answer 1

slaves represented everything whiteness was not and became the Other, created cultural constructs

Question 2

how did slavery make the poorer whites feel?

Answer 2

as the slave population grew poorer whites felt like they had more in common with the upper classes as they had whiteness in common

Question 3

what was the difference between free labour and slave labour?

Answer 3

free labour allowed people to move from job to job, but there was still hidden exploitation within free labour, as the slavery in the south allowed for exploitation in other practises to be overlooked.

Question 4

why were slave narratives initially not widely accredited?

Answer 4

for many years historians didn’t believe slave narratives, e.g fredrick Douglass narrative was accused of not being written by him as most slaves couldn’t write.

Question 5

how had stereotypes of black Americans and slavery persisted throughout time?

Answer 5

the dominant view of slavery up until 1950s was held in the film Birth of a Nation which is accredited with the revival of the KKK and depicted gross stereotypes of black Americans

Question 6

what was work life like on plantations?

Answer 6

work days would last 15-16 hours a day with one break and Sundays off, task system would mean people split up into tasks depending on how able they are.

Question 7

how did plantation experience differ between slaves?

Answer 7

some slaves worked inside the plantation houses and some were skilled labourers. those on smaller farms would get to know their masters better.

Question 8

how would slaves be disciplined?

Answer 8

some would be given money for their work (not much), some would be given better jobs, some plantations even allowed them to work on their own and have own gardens.
those who stepped out of line were whipped and beaten horrifically and women sexually assaulted.

Question 9

what were the slaves living conditions?

Answer 9

clothing was basic rags and only given a couple pair of clothes per year with one pair of shoes. the cabins were basic and poorly built and would be filled with straw.

Question 10

what were slaves methods to resist?

Answer 10

rebellions were a form of resistance but were not too common but still were a constant threat which spread fear among white slave owners.
most slaves would run away rather than risk a beating or execution

Question 11

what was the percentage of men and women who ran away?

Answer 11

80% of those who ran away were men

Question 12

why would women slaves run away less frequently?

Answer 12

they often had children which tied them to the plantation and many slaves only ran away for short period of time to avoid punishment.

Question 13

how would runaway slaves escape?

Answer 13

slaves would attempt to flee to the North, many with help through the underground railroad. it would be difficult for those who didn’t live in a border state.

Question 14

what role did religion play within slavery?

Answer 14

masters taught christianity to the slaves but the slaves took their own form of Christianity and modified to to their own culture.
but others argue religion held them down by trying to justify their position through the bible.

Question 15

how did slavery become a political issue?

Answer 15

slavery became region in the south and then became about representation in congress as the number of representatives was based on population by state. and in the south there around 2 million slaves.

Question 16

what was the 3/5 compromise?

Answer 16

agreement reached were 3/5 of the slave population would be considered as recognised people by the government. this worked out that each slave was worth 3/5 of a person.

Question 17

how was the issue around 3/5 compromise divisive?

Answer 17

it further confined slavery to the south and exaggerated the differences between north and south.

Question 18

how was slavery abolished in the North?

Answer 18

after the revolution the north began to ban slavery and then most states passed abolition laws but didn’t emancipate immediately but rather became free when they became adults.

Question 19

how were those slaves originally in the north not free?

Answer 19

slavery was abolished in the north but many of those slaves were then sold south before the law came in.

Question 20

how much of the southern population was black?

Answer 20

between 30-60% of the southern population was black, and the white population was unified around slavery.

Question 21

when was the international slave trade banned?

Answer 21

1808, after a 20 year deal to leave the trade alone ended

Question 22

what was the problem with new states and slavery?

Answer 22

congress had been equal in free and slave states and so adding one more state would break the balance.

Question 23

what was the problem posed by Missouri?

Answer 23

by 1818 there were 11 free states and 11 slave states until missuori requested to join the union as a slave state, but then maine was to be a free state keeping the balance.

Question 24

what was the Missouri compromise?

Answer 24

the problem for Missouri was the slaves would be gradually emancipated, but then a compromise was proposed in which there would be no slavery in the Louisiana purchase anything north of the Missouri line.

Question 25

why did the south need slavery?

Answer 25

the souther economy was reliant on slave industry from the cotton industry

Question 26

how much of the worlds cotton did the US produce?

Answer 26

by 1840 produced 60% of the world’s cotton

Question 27

what was the compromise of 1850?

Answer 27

California was admitted as a free state. Utah and New Mexico would not have slavery banned but would vote on it when they joined.

Question 28

what was the national fugitive slave law?

Answer 28

mean’t there was no need to prove the identity of captured slaves and so allowed for the capture of free blacks claiming them as runaways