Slavery The Old South A idk o Abraham Lincoln o Prohibited any slaves from entering Illinois o Was a racist was sure that African Americans were inferior in all ways o Was a supporter of colonization o Believed slaveholders were aggressive o Lincoln convinced that America would become 100 slaveholder o Believed slavery had become a threat to white America foundation for hatred of slavery o North had an Apartheid society society segregated by law o America is a white man s Republic o Both North and South considered blacks to be inferior and keep them in social subordinate position American should be white man s society o Slavery had become a threat to white people o Pre Civil War republican party Antislavery opposed to the expansion of slavery but not to the existence of slavery A Development of the Old South 1 Tobacco Slavery and the Chesapeake 1790 1820 o Slavery is not a static institution it grows and changes o Everyone thought slavery would die out tobacco isn t as big as used to be now focused more on corn and wheat o Virginia has surplus slave population by time of war of independence didn t need the women and children slaves anymore bc wheat machines need strength of man however slavery not dying everywhere o Now is the time to end slavery 2 The Lowcountry 1790 1820 3 New Farms The Cotton Belt o South Carolina low coastal regions slavery is not dying out o Staple crop Rice o SC needed more slaves took advantage of opening in constitution that said congress can t interfere with immigration for 20 years imported a quarter of a million slaves o Many SC owners organize slaves using Task System way of organizing slaves labor for small jobs Owner says the amount of time a task should take if salves finished early the extra time is free time slaves like this bc it gave them more control over their life o Cotton changes the thought that slavery is dying out cotton gin o English industrial revolution focuses on textiles which creates huge demand for cotton cotton production takes off creates huge demand for slaves to make this cotton o Surplus of slaves in Virginia Lack of slaves in SC Huge internal slave trade one million slaves move to SC Internal slave trade is a nightmare for slaves because a Slave families broken up b More labor and harder labor than in Virginia c The task system is dropped in the new cotton producing region B Antebellum Southern Social Structure The Myth 1 Planters Cavalier image Gone With the Wind Twelve Oaks Tara o Gone With the Wind is story of old south and experience of Civil War good representation of the myth of what the old south was o Myth of old south had three distant social groups 1 Slaves 2 Slave owning white southerners rich have leisure time 3 White southerners that didn t own slaves Poor White Trash 2 Slaves Racist stereotypes 3 Poor White Trash landless tenants sick lazy dissolute o Did not own slaves were very poor pushed on to the worst lands in the south lazy hated to work bc associated physical labor with slaves sick most of the time had very poor diets suffered from hookworm and malaria ate dirt clay degraded group of people terribly immoral C Antebellum Southern Social Structure The Reality 1 Planters Owners of 20 or more slaves by 1860 there were 46 000 in a white population of over 8 million o Total of slave holders 283 000 One in four white southerners had direct interest in slavery Why do non slave holders fight to keep slavery o Slave holders control most of wealth control politics they are a powerful minority within the south o Slavery paid well which is part of why so little industrialization in south slavery is big business o Slavery is the driving engine of the American economy o Cotton and slaves are big business and very profitable o Driving engine of American economy between 1815 and 1860 o Southern rights positive defense of slavery 2 White Plain Folk southern yeomen small farmers work their own land no slaves majority of white population Scots Irish heritage o Yeomen Plain Folks small middle class farmers that own their own land but work their land with their own labor not slave owners Not producing cotton produce mainly corn bc versatile Herdsmen raise livestock in open range system mark their Self sufficient livestock Enjoyed a lot of leisure Fiercely independent o Land labor ratio o Hunter herdsman farmer type o Common lands and fencing laws Stated that any land not enclosed by a fence open to anyone s use Obligation of cotton growers was that they had to put up fence Described a lawful fence certain height had to stop hog weighing 100 pounds posts certain distance apart o Unionist in politics o Tolerate but do not lover of slavery o Resent planter class Westward Expansion Manifest Destiny 11 17 2015 A Manifest Destiny and America in the 1840 s o American Exceptionalism the idea that America is special extreme in 1840s o Displayed in Thomas Paine s Common Sense Puritan beliefs o John Lewis O Sullivan invents the idea of Manifest Destiny westward expansion some considered it northern and southern expansion America has a destiny to expand it s borders justified by o God is on America s side o America is God s chosen land America has mission to carry Christianity throughout the western hemisphere o Spread of Democracy throughout the western hemisphere o Population Growth and Overpopulation o America has the obligation to expand democracy and self government o Westward expansion would be a solution to perception of overpopulation o Arises from wasteful agricultural practices o Key to successful agriculture is labor o Notion that land is abundant and labor is scarce leads people to adopt a style of agriculture that uses land freely wastefully o By early 1800 s a lot of land had been used up once they lad was used up they let it lay fallow o People thought they had run out of land for agriculture cities are growing Perception that we are running out of land and need to expand Myth that best life was one of small farmers still existed o Young America Movement founding generation rapidly passing away emphasizing that a new generation of American leadership had come forward nation had youth and energy on its side great growth and development ahead B Texas Oregon and the Election of 1844 o Texas California Southwest New Mexico Utah Nevada Arizona Pacific Northwest become part of U S during Manifest Destiny o Election of 1840 Whigs favor everything Jackson is against Harrison a Whig is elected but dies soon after Tyler becomes