ipl-logo

Essay On Cotton Slavery

492 Words2 Pages

The invention of the cotton gin in 1793 expanded cotton to be one of the most profitable on the North American main land and it also expanded slavery. Cultivation of cotton took extensive measures for example; they cleared forests and drained swamps to fit the cultivation of cotton. A rise in African American bondage occurred in the region from the Atlantic coast to Texas. Numbers grew fastest in the newer cotton producing states that included Alabama and Mississippi. Though tobacco, rice, and sugar played a tremendous role in the country economically. Cotton was a crucial staple crop. Enslaved men and women who worked on the cotton fields rose before dawn. Depending on the time of the year they worked till sun down. During harvest, adult …show more content…

Slaves in the old south also produced hemp, corn, wheat, oats, rye, white potatoes and sweet potatoes. On a plantation slaves were either house servants or skilled slaves. Those who did not have to work on the fields were seen as an elite group. House servants did not want to work on the field because of the grueling job, but field workers did not want to be house servants either because they felt that they would be under surveillance by their white master. Skilled slaves were more elite than house slaves. Since skilled slaves needed tools and spare parts they were able to travel which gave them a sense of freedom this frightened masters. Urban masters allowed slaves to purchase their freedom over a term of years. Urban slaves who bought their freedom typically continued to work in what they did as slaves. White southerners felt that African Americans would not give their full potential in labor unless they were threatened with beatings. In a few cases, resistance caused masters to reduce work hours and improve working conditions. The domestic slave trade between 1820 and 1860 took a toll on many slave families. As the expansion of the cotton kingdom grew the need for money began the trade amongst masters and slave traders. Masters sold men, women, and children. Many families were torn apart some due to punishment. After the abolishment of slavery in 1865 many African Americans went to the south to look

Show More
Related

The Cotton Gin: Eli Whitney's Impact On Slavery

1523 Words | 7 Pages

The cotton gin was invented by Eli Whitney in 1793. Versions of a cotton gin have existed since the first century in which single rollers were used to try to separate the seed from the cotton. Over time, a double roller system was invented. Finally, in 1793, the version invented by Whitney actually used teeth-like projections to remove the seed from the cotton. A belt and pulley system then separated the lint from the seeds.

Read More

How Did Eli Whitney Affect The Economy

1072 Words | 5 Pages

A phrase commonly used to describe the economy in America during these time periods is “Cotton is King”. It was the first mass consumer commodity. It was also one of the world’s first luxury commodities, next to sugar and tobacco. Cotton also turned many black human beings into commodities themselves. Unfortunately, slavery was a key component in the production of cotton.

Read More

Sugar In The Blood Summary

1413 Words | 6 Pages

The slaves’ men had to do manual labor in the sugar plantation throughout the day and guarding the same at night. They had no rights of getting an education since their masters presumed that doing so will enlighten them. The slaves were denied the fundamental principle of life such as education, the right of having a family. For instance, Stuart was the only black student in the

Read More

Civil War Dbq Essay

1116 Words | 5 Pages

With the secession of the South from the Union, two separate economies were formed. In the South, the primeval settlers found the warm climate and fertile soil platonic for growing tobacco. They started many tobacco plantations and brought woebegone slaves from Africa to provide most of the labor. In time, other plantations crops, expressly cotton, sugarcane, and sugar beets, were found to thrive in the South (Doc. A). With the South having the superb climate and perfect soil, the South's economy was destined to be an agricultural economy based on slave labor (Doc. D).

Read More

How Did The Crowning Of Cotton Affect The Economy

1169 Words | 5 Pages

The crowning of cotton, was the beginning of a series of bad events for the South. It all started when the first slave stepped foot on American soil in 1619. Slavery was essential and key to the prosperity of the South's economy and cotton production throughout the antebellum period. The growth of cotton vastly affected the atmosphere and the lives of everyone in the South; including society and the slaves themselves. First of all, cotton made a huge comeback with the invention of the cotton gin.

Read More

Colonial Changes In New England

1346 Words | 6 Pages

The Southern colonies differed in that slave labor was crucial to their society. In New England everyone helped with the family chores. It didn’t matter whether you were 5 or 50. As long as you could walk, there would be something for you to do. Even though the soil was weak in quality and very rocky, they still managed to farm some crops including corn, rye, peas, squash and pumpkins.

Read More

Antebellum Era Dbq

1225 Words | 5 Pages

Since many were carpenters and mechanics, they were permitted to work in town. However, the money that they made had to be paid back to their owner. Lastly, the lowest group were known as the field slaves. Field slaves were the ones who worked in plantation fields. They worked on producing cash crops such as cotton, sugar, and tobacco.

Read More

Slave Labor Force In Colonial America

522 Words | 3 Pages

Throughout the development of the colonies in America, slave trade grew to be a significant source of labor in primarily southern plantations within the late seventeenth to eighteenth centuries. During the era, with slaves being condemned to be considered socially inferior by law, and the increase in demand of goods such as rice and indigo, the slave labor force became a notable source for southern plantations in the eighteenth century. Slaves and people of color had always been considered to be socially inferior even before the colonies existed. With a sense of paternalism in Great Britain, people have always believed that those considered slaves,or servants rather, were second class citizens, and these people needed to be suppressed for their own best interests.

Read More

Slavery In Colonial Virginia Essay

517 Words | 3 Pages

Slavery was also increasing because you never had to pay the slaves that you owned and the plantations required a lot of labor, so slaves were a lot cheaper than the indentured servants. The profits from tobacco and rice led planters to import enslaved Africans, which made the economy depend on slavery. Although slavery was a morally

Read More

How Did African Americans Treated In The 1800s

514 Words | 3 Pages

Another reason what they did to resist was rebelling and sabotaging. They should of invent new vehicle or machines for slaves could finish their work faster, and it would help them from getting less tired. Inventor could try to invent a new technology for it could be a new way to have. They would break tools and pretend to understand the work. Some enslaved Africans American did rebel openly against their master.

Read More

What Are The Benefits Of Frederick Douglass An Abolitionist

1342 Words | 6 Pages

Southern people needed slaves for work outdoors, such as farming and blacksmithing. Slaves worked hard long hours in all types of weather conditions,

Read More

Slavery In The Chesapeake Colonies

993 Words | 4 Pages

Firstly, the owners of land ownership in the southern colonies rapidly pooled their land, forming a large-scale farms, which, respectively, required much more labor. Second, the price of tobacco, the main crop of the South, in the 1660s fell and remained at a low level, forcing all the planters to sell cheaper. Third, as population growth in England and at the same time reduced to improve living conditions, the number of people who wanted to go to America as indentured workers, reduced - thus the number Servent also declined. Fourth, the laws of Virginia and other colonies were aimed at the worsening situation of black workers and ultimately led to legitimize the system of slave labor. Although theoretically black workers were free men, in fact, they had to put up with infringement of their civil, legal and property rights.

Read More

Why Did The South Grow Essay

828 Words | 4 Pages

For example, small farmers depended on the local plantation aristocracy for access to cotton gins, markets for their modest crops and their livestock, and credit or other financial assistance in time of need. The great cotton economy allowed many small farmers to improve their economic fortunes. Some bought more land, some became slave owners, and some moved into the fringes of plantation society. A typical white southerner was a yeoman farmer, who was also known as “plain folk.” These farmers owned a few slaves, with whom they worked and lived more closely than the larger planters.

Read More

Essay On Slavery In The South

704 Words | 3 Pages

Resistance helped enslaved African Americans endure their lives by striking back at white masters". This demonstrates that slaves also got away with things these were some examples on how the slaves

Read More

African Diaspora Essay

1404 Words | 6 Pages

Most of the plantations cultivated cash crops such as sugar, tobacco, coffee, and cotton. All these plantation were reliant on slaves for physical labor. Plantations in different regions tended to differ from each other. In the Caribbean and South America, slaves were often affected by diseases such as malaria and yellow fever. The slave population was also male dominant, making the rate of reproduction slower.

Read More

More about Essay On Cotton Slavery

Related Topics

Open Document