North and South Flashcards
productivity
a measure of how much a worker can produce with a given amount of time and effort
domestic slave trade
the trade of enslaved people within the United States
Upper South
Atlantic Coast of Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina
Deep South
Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas
The Cotton Gin
- Invented by Eli Whitney in 1793 * Quickly removed seeds from cotton fibers * Made it easier to raise a cotton crop * Workers could process 50 times more cotton each day
Effect of Cotton Gin on slavery
Because Southern planters used enslaved workers to plant and pick their cotton, the need for slave labor increased. Slavery spread across a larger area of the South
Other crops produced in Upper South
tobacco, hemp, wheat, vegetables
Other crops produced in Deep South
rice, sugarcane, cotton
Reasons for slow growth of industry in South
Cotton growing was very profitable
Building new industry is expensive
Limited market for factory goods
Problems with transportation in the South
few canals, poor roads, few rail lines
tenant farmers
Did not own their land
overseer
An overseer, or plantation manager, supervised enslaved people on plantations
yeomen
farmers who had small farms that they farmed themselves or with a small number of enslaved worker
Slave Codes
laws in the Southern states that restricted the lives of enslaved people. To prevent slave rebellions, they were not allowed to gather in groups or learn to read and write.
Underground Railroad
was a network of “safe houses” that helped runaway enslaved people escape to freedom in the North
