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Questions and Answers
What is a cotton gin?
What is a cotton gin?
A machine for cleaning the seeds from cotton fibers, invented by Eli Whitney in 1793.
What was King Cotton in the pre-Civil War South?
What was King Cotton in the pre-Civil War South?
Cotton and cotton-growing considered a vital commodity, the major factor in the economy and politics.
What cleared the way for eastern people to resettle in the Deep South?
What cleared the way for eastern people to resettle in the Deep South?
Indian Removal Act of 1830.
By 1860, what percent of all American exports were cotton?
By 1860, what percent of all American exports were cotton?
What was the closest estimate of the number of enslaved people living in the South in 1860?
What was the closest estimate of the number of enslaved people living in the South in 1860?
In the South, did slaves develop a culture all on their own?
In the South, did slaves develop a culture all on their own?
The concept of family played a crucial role in the daily lives of enslaved people.
The concept of family played a crucial role in the daily lives of enslaved people.
Southern cities became headquarters of the nation's largest and most profitable commodities—cotton and enslaved people.
Southern cities became headquarters of the nation's largest and most profitable commodities—cotton and enslaved people.
What were some consequences in the decades before the Civil War when slave marriages were broken up?
What were some consequences in the decades before the Civil War when slave marriages were broken up?
What was the impact of Nat Turner's rebellion?
What was the impact of Nat Turner's rebellion?
What southern crops required cities for export, marketing, and/or storage?
What southern crops required cities for export, marketing, and/or storage?
Where was the Southern middle class the strongest?
Where was the Southern middle class the strongest?
In which region was ethnic homogeneity the strongest among enslaved people?
In which region was ethnic homogeneity the strongest among enslaved people?
Which African country was founded by African Americans?
Which African country was founded by African Americans?
Why did Celia kill her enslaver?
Why did Celia kill her enslaver?
What happened to Nat Turner after his rebellion?
What happened to Nat Turner after his rebellion?
How did evangelicalism influence racial relations in the U.S. South?
How did evangelicalism influence racial relations in the U.S. South?
What was the function of southern dueling?
What was the function of southern dueling?
Which of the following best describes the relationship of femininity and domesticity in the South?
Which of the following best describes the relationship of femininity and domesticity in the South?
In a world of radicalized violence and dominance, who did southern society seek to protect?
In a world of radicalized violence and dominance, who did southern society seek to protect?
Before cotton, was the American South the go-to source for rice and tobacco?
Before cotton, was the American South the go-to source for rice and tobacco?
What is Gossypium barbadense often called?
What is Gossypium barbadense often called?
What did the Cotton Belt refer to?
What did the Cotton Belt refer to?
What is speculation in land purchasing?
What is speculation in land purchasing?
What does the term Black Belt refer to?
What does the term Black Belt refer to?
Did the steamboat revolutionize southern cities?
Did the steamboat revolutionize southern cities?
What simple actions of resistance did enslaved people engage in?
What simple actions of resistance did enslaved people engage in?
What were the outcomes of Nat Turner's rebellion?
What were the outcomes of Nat Turner's rebellion?
Did slaveholders use family connections as threats to get more production from slaves?
Did slaveholders use family connections as threats to get more production from slaves?
What crop was known to be expensive and harsh, destroying land?
What crop was known to be expensive and harsh, destroying land?
How did cotton and slavery relate to each other?
How did cotton and slavery relate to each other?
What was the first steamboat?
What was the first steamboat?
What did Thomas Jefferson state in his 'Notes of the State of Virginia'?
What did Thomas Jefferson state in his 'Notes of the State of Virginia'?
By the mid-1850s, did the expected production of enslaved people in Mississippi's Cotton Belt increase significantly?
By the mid-1850s, did the expected production of enslaved people in Mississippi's Cotton Belt increase significantly?
In the South, humanity became a commodity for profit.
In the South, humanity became a commodity for profit.
What did the Cotton Revolution do for the South?
What did the Cotton Revolution do for the South?
In the 1820s, was Southern life predicated on a rural lifestyle?
In the 1820s, was Southern life predicated on a rural lifestyle?
Were cotton gins, wagons, grinders, looms, and baths all steam powered?
Were cotton gins, wagons, grinders, looms, and baths all steam powered?
Were the South's rivers, lakes, and bays barriers to commerce?
Were the South's rivers, lakes, and bays barriers to commerce?
What coastal ports became targets of steamboats?
What coastal ports became targets of steamboats?
What types of working-class people flooded coastal ports?
What types of working-class people flooded coastal ports?
Did New Orleans' population increase between 1830-1840?
Did New Orleans' population increase between 1830-1840?
Did middle-class people in the South thrive in port city life?
Did middle-class people in the South thrive in port city life?
What made up the southern middle class?
What made up the southern middle class?
Did southern Evangelical religion shape the understanding of southern gender roles?
Did southern Evangelical religion shape the understanding of southern gender roles?
What type of violence characterized southern lower classes in the backcountry?
What type of violence characterized southern lower classes in the backcountry?
What tactics did the southern lower class use for violence?
What tactics did the southern lower class use for violence?
Did a gentleman achieve recognition by killing his opponent in a duel?
Did a gentleman achieve recognition by killing his opponent in a duel?
Was the legal system to blame for the violence in the Old South?
Was the legal system to blame for the violence in the Old South?
Femininity in the South was tied to the domestic sphere.
Femininity in the South was tied to the domestic sphere.
Was female labor an important aspect of the southern economy?
Was female labor an important aspect of the southern economy?
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Study Notes
Cotton and Slavery
- The Cotton Gin, invented by Eli Whitney in 1793, revolutionized cotton processing, profoundly shaping the American economy.
- "King Cotton" became the dominant factor in the pre-Civil War South, significantly influencing economic and political dynamics.
- By 1860, cotton exports comprised 60% of all American exports, highlighting its crucial role in international trade.
Enslaved Population and Culture
- Approximately 4 million enslaved individuals lived in the South by 1860, representing 45% of the population, with 2.5 million in the Cotton Belt.
- Enslaved people formed their own cultural identities, creating kinship networks, trade systems, and religious communities despite the oppressive nature of their lives.
- Marriage among enslaved people was vital for cultural continuity and identity formation amidst the traumas of slavery.
Slave Rebellions and Resistance
- Nat Turner's rebellion in 1831 resulted in the death of 57 whites and influenced increased restrictions like anti-literacy laws and the dismantling of Black-led churches.
- Resistance manifested through various forms, from minor acts like damaging tools to significant revolts, fostering a sense of unity among enslaved communities.
Social Dynamics in the South
- Southern cities emerged as centers for cotton and slave trade, facilitating the growth of an urban South linked to a global market.
- The rise of a Southern middle class consisted of merchants, skilled laborers, and speculators, contributing to the economic landscape of port cities.
- Violence and dueling were entrenched in social norms, with honor being fiercely defended through personal combat and dueling traditions.
System of Oppression
- Enslaved women faced unique vulnerabilities, including sexual violence and forced child-rearing, complicating their lives within slavery.
- Enslavers utilized sexual violence as a tool for control and obedience, significantly impacting family structures and social dynamics among enslaved peoples.
Role of Religion
- Evangelical Christianity played a pivotal role in the South, reinforcing proslavery ideologies while also increasing Protestantism among African Americans.
- Southern ministers claimed divine justification for slavery but also viewed evangelizing enslaved people as a significant calling.
Impacts of Economic Changes
- The Cotton Revolution catalyzed urbanization in the South, linking agricultural production to broader economic systems and markets.
- Southern agriculture benefited from the use of steamboats, which transformed transportation and commerce, connecting rural producers to urban centers.
Legal and Social Status of Women
- Wealthy white women in the South were expected to adhere to strict domestic roles, limiting their public engagement and opportunities.
- Legal systems often failed to protect women's rights, making divorce risky and detrimental to a woman's social standing.
Cultural and Social Norms
- Society's values in the South were deeply intertwined with issues of race, gender, and class, reinforcing expectations of purity for women and honor for men.
- The cult of domesticity shaped the social position of women, emphasizing moral virtue over economic contributions.
Legacy of Oppression
- The interconnectedness of cotton and slavery resulted in dehumanization, commodifying enslaved individuals for profit.
- The systemic nature of oppression left lasting impacts on Southern society and shaped the racial dynamics that would continue to evolve.
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