Unit 3: The American System - The Forming Thereof Flashcards
What does the word enslaved mean?
What does the word bondage mean?
What were some ways slave owners kept enslaved people on bondage?
Look at the image…what are you seeing….
Whippings, executions, rapes, separation of families, poor living conditions, and passage of slave codes.
Take a look at the image.
Take a look at the image…think about enslavement
Beginning in European countries, then in North American colonies and eventually the United States, what were the three reasons enslavement continued for over three hundred years?
Economic gain, political power, and the advancement of White Superiority.
When you see the number 3/5 what needs to come to mind?
How did the 3/5th Compromise benefit some states over others?
The 3/5th Compromise gave slave holding states a political advantage in the number of representatives a state would have in the House of Representatives.
What role did abolitionist women serve?
Why were they important?
These abolitionist women were known for writing about the experiences of the enslaved.
Phyllis Wheatley, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Fanny Kemble.
What would they gain from the war?
What were two reasons did the Confederacy give for fighting the Civil War?
Defending the “Southern Way of life” and the right to the profitable “business” of enslaving people without interference.
What was the impact of the cotton gin on the South?
How does the invention of the cotton gin impact enslavement in America?
Increased the need for slave labor in the South
What types of strategies did owners of enslaved people use to justify enslavement in America?
Religion, Paternalism, Imagery (paintings) - ALL THE ABOVE
Why is she very important?
What are key points of her book?
Why was Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, so impactful to the argument for the abolishment of enslavement in America?
Stowe’s depiction of the severity of enslavement provided the reader with a different perspective proving that it should be abolished.
What do we know about Jim Crow and its impact?
With the end of the enslavement of Black people, slave codes became known as Jim Crow Laws in the southern states. In what areas were Black people impacted by these laws?
Black people were limited in areas such as education, transportation, voting, housing, and jobs.
Who was Dred Scott and why is he important?
What was the Supreme Court’s ruling in the 1857 Dred Scott v. Sandford case?
The Dred Scott ruling stated that a Black person living in, or having lived in a free or slave state could never become a citizen.
Think BIG PICTURE
What were the significant factors that led to the growth of the slave population between 1820 and 1850?
Cotton Boom – The cotton industry was booming, and plantation owners wanted more enslaved people to pick and process cotton.
Forced Births – Enslaved people were often forced to have children, increasing the number of enslaved people.
Slave Trade Within the U.S. – Even though bringing in enslaved people from Africa was banned in 1808, people were still bought and sold within the country.
Westward Expansion – As the U.S. grew westward, more land meant more plantations, and enslavers needed more labor.
Laws Supporting Slavery – Southern states made strict laws to keep slavery going and to stop enslaved people from escaping.
How did sectional differences between Northern and Southern states lead to the Civil War? What was the impact on enslaved African Americans?
How Sectional Differences Led to the Civil War & Its Impact on Enslaved African Americans
Causes of the Civil War:
Economy Differences – The North had factories and businesses, while the South depended on farming, especially cotton, which relied on enslaved labor.
Slavery Disagreements – The North wanted to stop slavery from spreading, but the South wanted to keep it and expand it to new states.
New States & Slavery – Every time a new state was added, people argued if it should allow slavery or not. This created big fights between the North and South.
Laws & Compromises – Some laws tried to keep peace (like the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850), but they didn’t solve the problem.
Abraham Lincoln’s Election – When Lincoln became president in 1860, the South feared he would end slavery, so they decided to break away from the U.S. and form their own country, leading to war.
Impact on Enslaved African Americans:
Some Gained Freedom – When the North won the Civil War in 1865, slavery was finally abolished with the 13th Amendment.
Fighting in the War – Many enslaved African Americans escaped and joined the Union Army to fight for their freedom.
Harsh Conditions – During the war, many enslaved people suffered as plantations were destroyed, and some were forced to work for the Confederate army.
Hopes for a New Life – After the war, formerly enslaved people wanted land, jobs, and education, but many still faced discrimination and unfair treatment.
How did enslaved individuals resist enslavement both overtly and covertly?
Ways Enslaved Individuals Resisted Enslavement
Overt Resistance (Open, Direct Action):
Rebellion & Revolts – Some enslaved people fought back directly, like the Nat Turner Rebellion in 1831, where a group of enslaved people fought against their enslavers.
Running Away – Many tried to escape to free states or Canada via the Underground Railroad, a secret network that helped them find safe places.
Sabotage – Some enslaved individuals would damage tools, crops, or machines on purpose to slow down their enslavers’ work.
Open Protests – Some resisted by publicly refusing to obey orders, or by speaking out against slavery in the newspapers or through speeches.
Covert Resistance (Secret, Quiet Acts):
Work Slower – Enslaved people sometimes worked slowly on purpose to make things less efficient and frustrate their enslavers.
Preserving Culture – They kept African traditions alive by telling stories, singing songs, and passing down knowledge through generations.
Religion & Spirituals – Many enslaved people used religious services and spiritual songs to build hope, communicate secretly, and find strength.
Escape Plans – Some would secretly make plans to escape, working with others in secret, like through coded messages in songs.
Think about the impact of over 140+ years….
The practice of enslavement in America began in 1619 and continued until the conclusion of the Civil War. How were enslaved African Americans able to maintain their cultural identities?
How Enslaved African Americans Maintained Their Cultural Identities
Storytelling – Enslaved people shared stories, passed down traditions, and told tales from their African heritage to keep their culture alive.
Music & Spirituals – They used music and spirituals (songs with hidden meanings) to express their emotions, communicate secretly, and connect with their roots.
Dance – African dance styles were passed down and used as a form of self-expression and resistance.
Language & Folklore – Enslaved people mixed African languages with English, creating new ways to communicate and preserve their African roots.
Religion – Many enslaved people combined African spiritual beliefs with Christianity, creating a unique religious culture that gave them strength.
Crafts & Art – They made handmade items like quilts, baskets, and pottery, often using African techniques and symbols to express their cultural heritage.
Family & Community – Even though families were sometimes separated, enslaved people formed strong bonds with each other, supporting and passing down their culture through community life.
What were the key factors in the domestic policy decisions that accelerated the expansion of enslavement?
Several key domestic policy decisions accelerated the expansion of enslavement in the United States, particularly in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
These decisions were largely driven by economic interests, territorial expansion, and legal structures that reinforced the institution of slavery. Some of the most significant factors include:
- The Constitution & Legal Protections for Slavery (1787)
The Three-Fifths Compromise counted enslaved people as three-fifths of a person for congressional representation, increasing political power for slaveholding states.
The Fugitive Slave Clause required that escaped enslaved people be returned to their enslavers, reinforcing the institution at a national level.
The 1808 Ban on International Slave Trade limited new imports of enslaved people, which ironically led to an expansion of domestic slave breeding and forced migration.
- The Invention of the Cotton Gin (1793)
Eli Whitney’s cotton gin made cotton processing far more efficient, increasing the demand for enslaved labor in the South.
This invention turned cotton into the dominant cash crop, leading to the rapid expansion of slavery into new territories.
- The Louisiana Purchase (1803)
The U.S. acquired vast new lands from France, opening opportunities for plantation agriculture.
Southern leaders pushed for these new lands to allow slavery, further entrenching the system.
- The Missouri Compromise (1820)
Allowed Missouri to enter as a slave state and Maine as a free state, maintaining a balance in Congress but also establishing the precedent of expanding slavery into new territories below the 36°30′ latitude line. - The Indian Removal Act (1830)
Forced the relocation of Native American nations, opening millions of acres in the South to enslavers who expanded plantation agriculture. - The Compromise of 1850 & Fugitive Slave Act
Allowed California to enter as a free state but included a much stricter Fugitive Slave Act, which forced free states to assist in returning escaped enslaved people.
Allowed territories (Utah and New Mexico) to decide on slavery through popular sovereignty, increasing tensions over expansion.
- The Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)
Overturned the Missouri Compromise by allowing new territories to decide on slavery through popular sovereignty.
Led to violent conflict in “Bleeding Kansas” as pro- and anti-slavery settlers clashed over the issue.
- The Dred Scott Decision (1857)
Supreme Court ruled that enslaved people were not citizens and had no rights under the Constitution.
Declared that Congress could not prohibit slavery in the territories, opening the door for its expansion.
