Southern Agriculture Flashcards

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Questions and Answers

What was the importance of agriculture in the South?

With all of the industrialization in the North they needed supplies.

What was the Southern economy dependent on?

Cotton and slave labor.

What year and who created the cotton gin?

1793 and Eli Whitney.

What does the cotton gin do?

Used a spiked cylinder to remove the seed from cotton fibers. Signup and view all the answers

How much faster was the cotton gin?

50 times faster than by hand. Signup and view all the answers

In 1860 there were about how many slaves?

About 4 million. Signup and view all the answers

Prices of slaves went up _____ times.

10-20 Signup and view all the answers

By 1820 they produced ____ times that amount.

10 Signup and view all the answers

What was the greatest source of wealth in America at the time?

Cotton. Signup and view all the answers

How was cotton a source of wealth in the North?

Bankers and shipowners got money. Signup and view all the answers

How was cotton a source of wealth in the South?

Plantations. Signup and view all the answers

What was the wealth that plantation owners lived in referred to?

The cotton kingdom. Signup and view all the answers

Did it include all Southern states?

False Signup and view all the answers

How many southern farmers had slaves?

Less than half. Signup and view all the answers

What did most farmers do, because the cotton owners were a small group?

Grew corn and raised hogs and chickens. Signup and view all the answers

What did southerners think would happen if they lessened control over slaves?

Uprisings. Signup and view all the answers

What were the two main points that southerners would use to defend slavery?

It was more humane than northern free labor; slaves never had to worry about unemployment. Signup and view all the answers

How would northerners respond?

Northern free labor workers were free to quit a job if the conditions were too harsh; slaves suffered from physical or other abuse from white owners. Signup and view all the answers

How many African Americans were free in the South?

6%. Signup and view all the answers

How were they free?

Many bought their freedom. Signup and view all the answers

Were they ever safely free?

False Signup and view all the answers

What were things that free African Americans were denied?

The ability to vote, buy on a jury, testify against whites; they also couldn't send their children to public school. Signup and view all the answers

What did Norbert Rillieux do?

Created a new way to refine sugar. Signup and view all the answers

What did Henry Blair do?

Invested a seed planting device that reduced the time a farmer had to spend sowing. Signup and view all the answers

What were slave codes?

Laws that controlled all aspects of their lives. Signup and view all the answers

What did most slaves do?

Become farm hands. Signup and view all the answers

How hard were they worked?

Almost to death. Signup and view all the answers

How were slaves punished?

Whipping. Signup and view all the answers

What was the only thing that kept them healthy and productive and saved from too much mistreatment?

The fact that they were valuable. Signup and view all the answers

What did slaves do that weren't farm hands?

Housekeepers, butlers, or nannies. Signup and view all the answers

How would slaves rebel?

Worked slowly, pretended to not understand what was being said, broke equipment. Signup and view all the answers

What did the courageous slaves do?

Run away. Signup and view all the answers

Who was Nat Turner?

In 1831, he said that he had a vision to kill whites. Signup and view all the answers

What happened?

He and others killed 60 whites. Signup and view all the answers

Results of that?

Many innocent African Americans were executed. Signup and view all the answers

What are spirituals?

Religious folk songs that blended biblical themes with the realities of slavery. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Importance of Southern Agriculture

Agriculture was vital in the South, supplying essential resources for the industrialized North.
The Southern economy was heavily reliant on cotton and slave labor for its prosperity.

Cotton Gin and Its Impact

The cotton gin, invented by Eli Whitney in 1793, revolutionized cotton processing by using a spiked cylinder to efficiently remove seeds from cotton fibers.
This invention made cotton processing approximately 50 times faster than manual methods.

Slave Labor and Cotton Production

The demand for cotton led to an increase in slavery; more slaves equated to greater cotton production.
By 1860, there were about 4 million slaves in the South, a significant increase from approximately 698,000 in 1790.

Economic Dynamics of Cotton

Slave prices escalated significantly, rising 10-20 times over the years.
Cotton production surged from 500,000 pounds in 1790 to ten times that amount by 1820, making it the greatest source of wealth in America.

Wealth Distribution

Cotton served as a financial boon for bankers and shipowners in the North and plantation owners in the South.
Plantation life for owners was characterized as living in "the cotton kingdom."

Southern Farming Landscape

While cotton dominated, less than half of Southern farmers owned slaves; most engaged in subsistence farming, growing corn and raising hogs and chickens.
States like Alabama and Mississippi were cotton-dependent, but not all Southern states followed this pattern.

Slavery and Control

Southerners feared that reduced control over slaves could lead to uprisings.
Defending slavery, they argued it was more humane compared to Northern free labor, as slaves were not burdened by unemployment.

Free African Americans

Only 6% of African Americans in the South were free, many of whom purchased their freedom, but faced constant risks of being kidnapped and sold back into slavery.
Free African Americans faced numerous legal restrictions: they could not vote, serve on juries, or send their children to public school.

Contributions by Innovators

Norbert Rillieux developed a new method to refine sugar, while Henry Blair invented a seed planting device that lessened the time required for sowing.

Slave Codes and Rebellion

Slave codes were laws that controlled every aspect of enslaved individuals' lives, treating them as property rather than people.
Most slaves worked as farmhands, suffering extreme workloads, often to the brink of death, and punishment was typically meted out through whipping.

Slave Resistance

Slaves could rebel in subtle ways: working slowly, pretending not to understand instructions, or damaging equipment, while some displayed extraordinary courage by escaping.
Nat Turner, in 1831, led a rebellion after claiming to have a vision, resulting in the deaths of 60 whites and prompting violent reprisals against innocent African Americans.

Cultural Expressions

Spirituals emerged as a form of religious folk songs, blending biblical themes with the experiences and hardships of slavery, reflecting the deep cultural heritage of enslaved people.

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Description

Test your knowledge of Southern agriculture and its economic significance in history. This quiz covers key elements such as cotton production, the role of slave labor, and the impact of technological innovations like the cotton gin. Discover the vital connections between the South's agricultural practices and its economy.