COTTON TO CONFLICT

"Slavery is theft -- theft of a life, theft of work, theft of any property or produce, theft even of the children a slave might have borne."

-- Kevin Bales

THE ROLE OF SLAVERY IN EARLY AMERICA

Note: your teacher might give you a printed copy of the below readings.

Introduction

Slavery played a significant role in shaping the early history of the United States, particularly in the South. Enslaved Africans and African Americans were forced to work on plantations, laying the economic foundations of the new nation. Despite the oppressive conditions, enslaved people made significant contributions to Southern culture, including speech, folklore, music, dance, and food.

The Spread of Slavery

During the 17th and 18th centuries, enslaved Africans and African Americans primarily worked on tobacco, rice, and indigo plantations in the Southern colonies. As the demand for cotton and sugar grew, slavery became even more entrenched in the South. The Northern states, while profiting from the slave trade and Southern plantations, did not rely on slavery as heavily due to industrialisation and a different climate.

The Domestic Slave Trade

In 1807, President Thomas Jefferson signed a law ending the importation of enslaved people from Africa. However, this did not end slavery; instead, it led to the growth of the domestic slave trade within the U.S., particularly to provide labour for new cotton plantations. To increase the supply of enslaved workers, some slave owners forced enslaved women to have as many children as possible, often beginning at a young age.

Life Under Slavery

Slave codes were laws designed to give slave owners complete control over enslaved people. Under these laws, enslaved people were treated as property that could be bought and sold. They were denied stable family lives, privacy, and the right to learn to read or write. Enslaved people who were obedient sometimes received favours from their owners, while those who resisted faced severe punishment.

A hierarchy existed among plantation slaves:

House slaves: Worked in the main house and had better living conditions.
Skilled artisans: Had specialised skills and some privileges.
Field hands: Made up the majority of enslaved people and faced the harshest conditions.

Resistance and Resilience

Despite the oppressive conditions, enslaved people found ways to resist and maintain their humanity. They created strong family and community bonds, preserved their cultural traditions, and sometimes even managed to escape to freedom. Enslaved people also engaged in acts of rebellion, from small acts of defiance to large-scale uprisings.

Conclusion

The legacy of slavery has had a lasting impact on American society. While the institution was eventually abolished, the effects of slavery continue to shape issues of race, inequality, and injustice in the United States today. Understanding this difficult history is essential for addressing these ongoing challenges and working towards a more just and equitable society.

TASK ONE - HOW SLAVERY BUILT AMERICA

In your book, write the heading Slave Culture.

Refer to the Introduction. Describe some of the contributions enslaved people made to Southern culture in the United States.
Refer to The Spread of Slavery. Describe two significant factors that meant the Southern states were more reliant on slavery than the Northern states.
In 1807, President Thomas Jefferson signed a law ending the importation of enslaved people from Africa. Refer to The Domestic Slave Trade to explain one negative consequence of this law.
Refer to Life Under Slavery to draw a pyramid representing the hierarchy that existed among plantation slaves.

THE THREE-FIFTHS COMPROMISE

The Three-Fifths Compromise was a controversial agreement reached during the 1787 United States Constitutional Convention. It addressed the issue of how enslaved people would be counted for the purposes of taxation and representation in Congress.

Background

The population of a state determined its number of seats in the House of Representatives and its tax obligations.
Southern states, which had large enslaved populations, wanted to count enslaved people for representation but not for taxation.
Northern states argued that enslaved people should either be counted for both representation and taxation, or not counted at all.

The Compromise

The Three-Fifths Compromise resolved this dispute by counting enslaved people as three-fifths of a person for both representation and taxation.
This meant that for every five enslaved people, three would be added to a state's population count.

Impact on Enslaved People

The compromise did not grant any rights or recognition to enslaved people as human beings.
Instead, it treated them as property and further dehumanised them by counting them as fractions of a person.
The compromise gave Southern states more political power than they would have had if enslaved people were not counted at all, thus helping to perpetuate slavery.

Impact on America

The Three-Fifths Compromise gave Southern states a disproportionate influence in national politics relative to their free populations.
It allowed Southern states to have more representatives in Congress, which helped them to protect and expand the institution of slavery.
The compromise also set the stage for future conflicts over slavery, as it became clear that the nation was divided on this crucial issue.

The Three-Fifths Compromise was ultimately a concession to Southern slaveholders that helped to entrench slavery in American society and politics. It would take decades of struggle and a bloody civil war to finally abolish this institution and grant African Americans full recognition as citizens.

TASK two - three-fifths

In your book, write the heading Three-Fifths of a Person.

Southern states, which had large enslaved populations, wanted to count enslaved people for representation but not for taxation. Explain why Southern states were making this argument.
Define the term compromise.
Explain why the three-fifths compromise was a compromise.
Write a list of five adjectives you think are suitable to describe the three-fifths compromise.

TASK THREE - LIFE IN THE LAND OF THE FREE

Considering everything you have learned so far, complete the following tasks in your book.

Describe at least two ways black slaves contributed to the development of America.
Did the United States' Constitution classify slaves as people? Use one direct quote from the three-fifths reading to support your answer.
In 1807, President Thomas Jefferson legally ended some aspects of the slave trade. Explain why this didn't necessarily improve conditions for slaves and, in some cases, would have made them significantly worse. Use one direct quote from the reading to support your answer.
Consider the rights given to slaves under the slave codes and compare them with the ideas expressed by the United States Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Referring to the slave codes and the Declaration of Independence, explain the hypocrisy of slavery existing in the United States.

Hypocrisy: the practice of claiming to have higher standards or more noble beliefs than is actually true.

PRELUDE TO WAR

The northern and southern states had very different views on slavery. These differences, and the importance of those differences to all parties, would ultimately lead to approximately 620,000 men dying at the hands of their supposed neighbours. Let's watch a video.

Economic Causes of the Civil War

The Northern and Southern states had different economic systems. The North relied on factories and railroads, while the South depended on plantations and farms growing cash crops such as cotton and tobacco. The South used enslaved labour to work on these plantations, while the North relied on paid immigrant workers in their factories and railroads.

Political Causes of the Civil War

As new states were being added to the country, the North and South fought for political power. The North wanted more free states where slavery would be prohibited, while the South wanted more slave states where slavery would be allowed. Each side feared the other would become more powerful, leading to a series of compromises where each side got some of what they wanted.

The election of Abraham Lincoln as president in 1860 further escalated tensions, as Southerners feared he would attack their way of life and outlaw slavery. This led to a group of Southern states seceding from the United States and forming the Confederate States of America.

Consequences of the Civil War

The American Civil War, which lasted from 1861 to 1865, had devastating consequences. Over 600,000 American lives were lost in the four years of fighting, making it one of the bloodiest wars in American history. The war also had significant economic and social consequences, with the destruction of infrastructure and the abolition of slavery leading to major changes in the South.

The Civil War ultimately resulted in the defeat of the Confederacy and the preservation of the United States as a single nation. It also led to the passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution, which abolished slavery, granted citizenship to former slaves, and prohibited racial discrimination in voting.

THE TOLL OF WAR

The issue of slavery divided the United States along lines of economic, political, social, and philosophical differences. Those differences created a tension so overwhelming that war between those who wanted to keep and abolish slavery became inevitable. During the subsequent Civil War, the young United States - now bitterly divided - dealt with an unprecedented and overwhelming number of dead.

TASK FOUR

IN YOUR BOOK...

Create a heading titled, Causes of the American Civil War
Create a subheading titled, Economic Causes.
Describe at least two economic causes of the American Civil War.

TASK FIVE

IN YOUR BOOK...

Create a subheading titled, Political Causes.
In your own words, describe at least two political causes of the American Civil War.

TASK SIX

IN YOUR BOOK...

Create a subheading titled, Consequences.
Write a couple of sentences to explain at least two specific consequences of the American Civil War.

UNDERSTANDING CHECKPOINT

Click HERE to complete a short Google Form to check your understanding of some key terms, and causes of the American Civil War.

The geographic divide in the United States is very important for our story. For this reason - and because I know how much you love to copy maps into your book without complaining - complete the task below.

TASK SEVEN - MAP IT

Copy the image to the left into your book, paying attention to detail and accuracy.
Create a colour key for your map, referring to this page for help.
Underneath, write three observations regarding this map. Just by looking at it, what can you observe?

TASK EIGHT - LET'S GET OUR BEARINGS

Before we jump into the emancipation proclamation, let's just take a moment to figure out the who, what, where, when, why and how of all of this. Complete the following tasks in your book with a real life pen or pencil. You will almost definitely need to conduct some research to help you.

Discuss Abraham Lincoln.

Briefly describe his life, including education, jobs, family, any interesting events, etc.
Describe what he was like as a person, or what he believed in.
Explain why he is significant to our story.

Define the term emancipation and explain what this means, in the context of slavery in the United States.
Explain what a proclamation is.
Explain what the Union was during the American Civil War.

Which states were included in the Union?
Where were these states mostly located?
Describe some of the characteristics of these states, i.e. type of employment opportunities, opinion of slavery, etc.

Explain what the Confederacy was during the American Civil War.

Which states were included in the Confederacy?
Where were these states mostly located?
Describe some of the characteristics of these states, i.e. type of employment opportunities, opinion of slavery, etc.

Explain again, really briefly, how the practice of slavery contributed to the American Civil War.

EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION

In 1863 the Civil War was approaching its third year of bloody conflict with the outcome still far from certain. In an attempt to secure a Union victory President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. This declared that 'all persons held as slaves are, and henceforth shall be free.' Let's watch another video.

Issuing the Emancipation Proclamation was a strategic move by Lincoln, with significant benefits for the Union. Complete the two sentences below to put a few of the puzzle pieces together.

TASK NINE - COMPLETE THE SENTENCE

Over 200,000 black soldiers and sailors and 40,000 Canadians joined the Union to fight for freedom. This helped the Union…

TASK TEN - COMPLETE THE SENTENCE

Countless slaves walked off southern plantations and sought freedom in the North. This affected southern industry because…

TASK ELEVEN - EMANCIPATION

In your own words, in your book, explain the meaning of each of the following four excerpts from the Emancipation Proclamation.

“I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall be free…”
“…and that the Executive government of the United States, including the military and naval authorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons.”
“And I hereby enjoin upon the people so declared to be free to abstain from all violence, unless in necessary self-defense…”
“And I further declare and make known, that such persons of suitable condition, will be received into the armed service of the United States to garrison, forts, positions, stations, and other places, and to man vessels of all sorts in said service.”

Lincoln is seen by many today as the esteemed “Great Emancipator” while others believe he was a pragmatist. Read this quote from 1862 and decide for yourself.

'My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and it is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that. What I do about slavery and the coloured race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union; and what I forbear, I forbear because I do not believe it would save the Union.'

-- The New York Times, 25 August, 1862

EXTENSION TASK

Was Abraham Lincoln an emancipator or pragmatist? Write a short paragraph explaining and justifying your conclusion(s).

THIRTEENTH AMENDEMENT

As the Civil War continued, abolitionists and antislavery congressmen pressured Lincoln into introducing legislation that would make slavery illegal permanently and throughout the country. This was achieved in 1864-65 when the Thirteenth Amendment became part of the American Constitution.

While the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery, it included a provision that became a legal loophole that southern extremists exploited. The provision stated that slavery was illegal ‘except as a punishment for crime.’

TASK TWELVE - A SUMMARY

Referring to everything we have learned so far, complete the following sentences:

To the Southerners, slavery was seen as necessary because...
To the Southerners, slavery was seen as necessary, so...
To the Southerners, slavery was seen as necessary, but...
Although the Thirteenth Amendment ended slavery...
If Abraham Lincoln hadn’t issued the Emancipation Proclamation...
The main cause of the American Civil war was…. I believe this because…

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