TheOld South

Images of the Old South

Gone with the WindWhites a natural __________Stable agrarian societyPaternalistic white plantersKind to slavesDedicated to rural values of independence & honor

Uncle Tom’s CabinPlanters as arrogant aristocratsRaped slave womenBrutalized slave menBroke up slave familiesTrampled on rights of poorer __________

Sources of Southern Distinctiveness

Climate

The “Peculiar Institution” of slavery

__________ society

Few immigrants

Martial spirit

__________ by North & South alike that it was distinctive

Tredegar Iron Works(Richmond, VA)

By committing itself to cotton production, the South:

Gambled its future on unending demand (primarily British)

Sacrificed long-term __________ for short-term gain

Accepted moral isolation from rest of the world (Due to existence of slavery)

Distinguishing Characteristics of Plantations

(How were they different from other farms?)

Large sizeSubstantial __________ enterprises

Dedicated to producing staple crops for __________

Large labor forceManagement structure

Division of labor

Distinction between management & laborOwners did not work alongside slaves

Were a privileged elite

Saw themselves as community leadersA “natural aristocracy”

Expected __________

Conflated their _______ interest with the South’s interest

The Planter Mindset

Fiercely __________

Suspicious of __________

Supported slave system (But most owned no slaves)Feared economic competition

Enjoyed privileged status (Mudsill)

The Small Planters(Jefferson’s “yeoman farmers”)

“Poor white trash”

Lived a primitive existence on fringe of society

Characterized as:“Dirt-eaters”

“Lazy”

“Shiftless”

Failings attributed to heredity

Actual causes:__________

__________ deficiencies

Expectations:A Southern Gentleman was:

__________Polite__________

A Southern Lady was:__________ pure__________ piousDomestically submissive

Honor and Virtue in the South

Ways a slave might gain freedom:

Purchase it

Granted in recognition of service

(Usually for military service)

__________

(Used by G. Washington)

Escape(Necessarily entailed leaving the South)

Free “Persons of Color”

<= Harriet Beecher Stowe

William Lloyd Garrison =>

Frederick Douglas =>

<= Sojourner Truth

Slavery existed in the __________

Slavery __________ and a social necessity

Blacks basically inferior, slavery had a civilizing effect

Contrasted it to “evils” of “_____ slavery” in the North

Defense of Slavery