APUSH Chapter 11- Slavery and the Old South

The majority of white Southerners in antebellum America owned:

A) more than 20 slaves.
B) more than 50 slaves.
C) between one and 10 slaves.
D) more than 100 slaves.
E) no slaves at all.

e

The invention of the cotton gin in 1793:

A) slowed expansion into the Southwest.
B) tied the southern economy to cotton production.
C) caused plantation owners to plant tobacco.
D) undermined the plantation system.
E) revived the subject of abolitionism.

b

From 1815 to 1860, southern production of cotton:

A) represented more than half of all American exports.
B) harmed the interests of northern merchants and western farmers.
C) shrank by 50 percent.
D) surpassed the corn crop in terms of total acreage.
E) contributed to a steady decline in the region’s per capita income.

a

Laws to control the domestic slave trade were:

A) regulated by the British navy.
B) strictly enforced by the president.
C) passed to protect slave families.
D) poorly enforced and usually short lived.
E) enacted by Congress in 1808.

d

Southerners migrated southwestward in huge numbers between 1830 and 1860, seeking new lands for the:

A) diversification of agriculture.
B) production of cotton.
C) development of industry.
D) cultivation of tobacco.
E) herding of livestock.

b

The majority of slaves were engaged in:

A) domestic service.
B) industrial tasks.
C) factory work.
D) mining operations.
E) agricultural labor.

e

The Tredegar Iron Company of Richmond decided in 1847 to shift from white to slave labor to:

A) show their solidarity with other white slave owners.
B) reduce the costs of labor and capital investments.
C) expand the pool of slave laborers for industrial enterprises.
D) destroy the potential power of organized white workers to strike.
E) offer slaves useful skills for their later lives as free blacks.

d

White artisans in the South viewed black workers as:

A) potential colleagues.
B) fellow workers.
C) threats to their livelihoods.
D) no real competition.
E) valuable assets.

c

The typical slaveholder owned:

A) more than 50 slaves.
B) only one or two slaves.
C) fewer than 10 slaves.
D) between 10 and 15 slaves.
E) more than 20 slaves.

c

Most whites in the antebellum South:

A) avoided the social stigma of slaveholding.
B) resented the political influence of white slaveholders.
C) regarded slaveholding as a path to upward economic mobility.
D) wanted the abolition of slavery.
E) owned between five and ten slaves prior to 1860.

c

The yeoman farmers of the South:

A) formed a small portion of the population.
B) were fiercely proud of their independence.
C) showed little interest in political issues.
D) lived in the Appalachian Mountains.
E) owned very few slaves.

b

t/f: After 1800, the prosperity of both North and South became heavily dependent on growing, manufacturing, and exporting cotton.

true

t/f: The southern planter aristocracy was strongly attracted to medieval cultural ideals.

true

t/f: The growing of cotton on large plantations was economically efficient and agriculturally sound.

false

t/f: Most white southern women were critical of slavery because it threatened their marriage and family.

false

t/f: In 1860, three-fourths of all white southerners owned no slaves at all.

true

t/f: Poor whites supported slavery because it made them feel racially superior and because they hoped someday to buy slaves.

true

t/f: Free blacks enjoyed considerable status and wealth in both the North and South before the Civil War.

false

how were the upper and lower south different?

they grew different staple crops and had dramatically different economies

t/f: although more acreage was planted in corn, cotton was the largest cash crop.

true

_________ was to Latin America as cotton was to the southern US.

sugar

differences between latin american and american slaves (3)

– treated much worse than americas (higher death rate) – low population growth in latin amer. – latin amer. had more rights/more free blacks

t/f: Despite the outlawing of the international slave trade in 1807-1808, African slaves continued to be smuggled into the United States as well as Brazil and the West Indies.

true

t/f: the southern planter class wanted to use slave labor in factories

false, they saw no reason to risk capital in new ventures

role of women slave owners in plantations

– provide slave necessities – managed household – reflect lady-like virtues in a hyper-masculine environment

t/f: a typical slave was more likely to be one of 20 or more on a large farm or small plantation

true

Slavery inhibited the economic growth of the South because of the slaveholders’:

A) high maintenance costs.
B) unstable cotton prices.
C) low profit yields.
D) paternalistic attitudes.
E) undiversified capital investments.

e

t/f: The greatest opposition to abolitionism in the North and Britain came from evangelical Christians.

false, they regarded slaves as "having souls", jumpstarting the cascade of equality

describe non-slaveholders

– politically marginalized – worked poorer lands – confederates of civil war – hog herdsman

Sociologist George Fitzhugh argued that southern black slaves:

A) should be gradually amalgamated with the white race.
B) received better treatment than northern factory workers.
C) deserved gradual emancipation and limited economic opportunities.
D) did not need the paternal guidance of white masters.
E) worked harder than white factory workers in the North.

b

Wealthy southern planters justified slavery in terms of white superiority because such a defense:

A) reflected their blind racism.
B) coincided with the main ideological directions of the time.
C) deflected potential class antagonisms among whites.
D) fit in with the democratic ideals of the time.
E) emphasized the profitability of the institution.

c

t/f: By 1860, most northerners had come to agree with the abolitionists that slavery was an evil to be immediately abolished.

false

t/f: After about 1830, all criticism of slavery was suppressed in the South, including a prohibition of delivery of abolitionist materials through the U.S. mail.

true

t/f: Slavery almost completely destroyed the black family.

false

t/f: Most slaveowners treated their black slaves as a valuable economic investment.

true

For southern white women, Mary Boykin Chesnut regarded "the sorest spot" of slavery as the:

A) breaking up of slave families.
B) double standard of plantation sexuality.
C) obligation to feed, clothe, and nurse additional children.
D) excessive cruelty of the overseers.
E) social isolation and loneliness.

b

name and explain the 6 justifications of slavery

1) biblical – son of Ham, slavery has always existed 2) historical – old tradition ex. greece and rome 3) legal – based on constitution 4) pseudoscientific – blacks were created to be inferior 5) sociological – paternalistic; slaves are like children 6) economic – northern "wage workers" are worse off bc they have to feed themselves

before the 1830s/cotton gin, slavery was regarded as a…

necessary evil

interpretation of slavery post-cotton gin

"positive good"

interpretation of slavery during reconstruction era

north – evil and sinful south – beneficial for southern societies

interpretation of slavery 1890s

not a cause of civil war, was just a political argument

interpretation of slavery 1930s – 1950s

focused on the oppressor and the system of oppression

interpretation of slavery 1970s – now

concentrated on experiences of the enslaved focus on "agency"

The most recent historical interpretations of slavery have viewed the institution:

A) as uniformly cruel and oppressive.
B) as relatively humane and paternalistic.
C) through the interactions of masters and slaves.
D) from the perspective of northerners.
E) through eyes of the slaves themselves.

e

t/f: the underlying but rarely admitted motive behind the justifications of slavery was that slavery was profitable, as it was in Latin America

true

pros and cons of being a house slave

pros – easier, dress better, skilled cons – close supervision, duty day and night, conflicts with whites

describe slave health and punishments

– deficient diet = poor health, susceptibility to epidemics – whippings were punishment – withheld "rewards" for unfaithful labor, like holidays, hiring outs, passes

result of nat turner’s revolt

south prohibited manumission laws were made to protect them from severe punishments (loosely enforced)

the worst trauma for slaves was…

separation of families

t/f: the slave owners of the south were cruel people

false, they were decent human beings who committed inhuman acts

Slave spirituals reiterated one basic Christian theme:

A) do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
B) a chosen people were held captive but would be delivered.
C) servants, obey your masters.
D) love one another.
E) if someone slaps you, turn the other cheek.

b

In the slave folktales, Brer Rabbit:

A) falls victim because of his weak and careless nature.
B) suffers because of his weakness.
C) watches out for the other animals of the forest.
D) knows how to use his cunning to outwit his enemies.
E) demonstrates the foolishness of resistance to stronger foes.

d

The free black population of the United States increased from 1820 to 1860 because of all of the following reasons EXCEPT the:

A) continuing immigration of blacks from Africa.
B) passing as white.
C) natural increase of the free black population.
D) results of personal purchases and manumissions.
E) successful escapes of slaves from the South.

a

Many slaveholders urged their slaves to attend church because it:

A) improved the intelligence and morals of the slaves.
B) offered the slaveholder a form of social control.
C) allowed slaves an opportunity for singing and dancing.
D) gave the slaves something to do on their one day off.
E) enhanced the slaveholder’s reputation and social standing.

b

Following the convergence of Nat Turner’s revolt and William Lloyd Garrison’s publication of the abolitionist Liberator in 1831:

A) masters had less fear of slave revolts.
B) state laws prohibiting manumission were passed in the South.
C) laws protecting slaves from overly severe treatment were repealed.
D) the material conditions for slaves worsened.
E) the slaves’ expectations of freedom were heightened.

b

The lesson Frederick Douglass learned on how to survive slavery was to:

A) pretend that nothing bad was happening.
B) act defiantly at every opportunity.
C) obey every command of his master or mistress.
D) understand and outwit his oppressors.
E) endure all suffering in silent dignity.

d

______ was a crucial form of expression on both secular and religious occasions

music

t/f: slave songs usually had double/hidden meanings

false, they made songs when they felt joy or sorrow or just to have fun

what kinds of opportunities did slaves have on plantations

could work extra for money to support their family

t/f: The most prominent black abolitionist, Frederick Douglass, supported William Lloyd Garrison’s absolutist principles and refusal to seek a political solution to the sin of slavery.

false

The slave conspiracies of Gabriel Prosser in 1800 and Denmark Vesey in 1822 were both thwarted by:

A) spies planted among the slaves.
B) mass executions of the leaders.
C) internal betrayal by fellow slaves.
D) random killing of innocent blacks.
E) white discovery of the plots.

c

Free African Americans were likely to:

A) be women and children.
B) live near dense plantation centers.
C) be younger and more aggressive.
D) reside in cities and towns.
E) have fewer skills than slaves.

d

the underground railroad was established by…

abolitionists

where did slaves have no agency?

familial obligations, marriage (sometimes)

where did slaves have agency?

religion, love, stories, movement (can visit other plantations, can run errands)

examples of resistance

breaking tools, self-mutilation, running away, purchasing their own freedom, pretending loyalty

examples of rebellion

group escapes, white massacres

name three rebellions

Nat Turner (VA) Gabe Prosser Denmark Vesey

name the only successful, but temporary, revolt

Nat Turner’s Revolt

William Lloyd Garrison called for the ________ abolition of slavery

immediate

describe the life of free blacks

– worked in factories – poor – no privileges – developed schools and churches (ex. african methodist episcopal church in baltimore)

t/f: in new orleans, charleston, and other southern cities, all free blacks lived in poverty

false, there was an elite group of blacks that even owned land and slaves, but yes there were quite a few poor blacks

how did african american churches impact society

fought for expanded rights and prepared the way for the civil war

who was alexis de tocqueville?

enlightenment thinker who wanted to test the effect of slavery on towns

describe the differences between Ohio and Kentucky in Tocquevilles experiment

KY – don’t work as hard, messy, want pleasure and excitement, love to prove superiority (love violence and military) OH – labor is honorable, goal in life is to become rich

Effects of slavery (5)

1. threatens immigrants (no jobs) 2. dehumanized common labor 3. keeps poor white southerners in a rationalized poverty 4. forces maintenance of an irrational hierarchy 5. supports militaristic societies

t/f: the Civil War was called the Civil War during the Civil War

false, the name came much later

t/f: abolitionists were not racist

false, some were racists

underground railroad

violent confrontation of slave owners by free blacks semi-private

thomas jefferson’s view on slavery

"holding a wolf by its ears" its not good but its more dangerous to let slaves go