Slaves+and+Their+Masters+-+F

=Slaves  and Their Masters =



__Objectives:__
1) **Analyze** the __causes__ of lasting slavery in the South

2) **Describe** the __effects__ of rebellion on the Southern slaveholders

3) **Discuss** the __daily lives__ of a slave, and __how it relates__ to their protest against slavery

4) **Determine** __justifications__ Southerners used to support slavery

5) **Analyze** the __differences__ between the big scale planters and small farm owners in the ways they treated and used slaves

6) **Discuss** the __consequences__ the South faced for depending on a single-crop economy
 * ---EVERYTHING IS IN ORDER FROM THIS LINE---**

Activity #1 - 'what would you do?' __Congratulations!__ You are a wealthy plantation owner in the 19th century. You own many slaves, and you have a plantation that grows the cash crop – tobacco. But alas! Because tobacco is a crop that exhausts the land easily, your land eventually hits the wall of its limits. Now you have two options – choose wisely, and prove that you are a wise plantation owner:

**Option #1** “I have no more interest in old things, and I know there is much more potential out there!” If you choose this option, you will be either selling (if the circumstances permit) or leaving the depleted land and heading west for more land that can be cultivated. You will be bringing most (if not all) of your slaves, and are likely to be repeating the cycle to sustain your business in plantation. You have the benefit of not losing any money via slave trade (for the price of slaves could differ at a wide range). A demerit of this decision is that by doing this, you are hurting the environment by rendering a plot of land useless and undesired; abandoning it. Furthermore, you are not guaranteed any rewards that you might hope for during the process of seeking for new land to settle on.

**Option #2** “I prefer stability – I shall stay where I am, and experiment more with what I have to get richer!” If you choose this option, you will stay in your depleted land. Instead of abandoning the used-up land, you will sell some of your slaves to raise capital, and use the capital to renovate the land – buy fertilizers, plow the land again, acquire high quality seeds, etc. You can rid yourself the trouble of adventuring to new land, but there may be uncertain variables such as how much capital you may be able to lay your hands upon, for slaves – at the time – had a very fluctuating values; meaning that they could either be sold at an above-average price, or sometimes otherwise.

// - 5 minutes of group discussion -

- After the discussion, we give students the chance to speak what they chose, and why - //

**What would the real slave owner in the 19th century do?** __(Based on the information that we have, we provide the 'ideal' decision after listening to all the groups' opinions)__

He would choose option 1. Although later on in the century, people became more unpredictable in making a decision between the two options, option number 1 was definitely more appealing to the slaveholders. First of all, their priority was making more money, and making more money only. In other words, they would do whatever to get themselves richer. Thus, the demerit of hurting the environment wasn’t even considered a problem to them at all. Secondly – and most importantly – the first option was more economical. First, the planters didn’t have to sell or buy slaves that often, prices of which could either benefit or harm the planters depending on the time; granted that time and stability was crucial to making money especially to the planters, risking the chance of loss wasn’t so appealing. Lastly, purchasing a new plot of land was much cheaper than renovating a depleted one. The two factors mentioned above made the first option more economically appealing, so most of the planters did go for option number 1, and if you did too, then I think you would have been a great 19th century planter in the South as well.

It’s understandable if you chose option 2. International slave trade was over in the United States, but internal slave trade was popular. Slaves were property, so they were bought and sold like property: for money. We’ll cover more of it in this upcoming section, but because of this, many slave families were often separated.

Lecture/Information (The Headings in Bold represent each slide)

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-Of course, it’s incredibly demanding labor, and owners had to find a way to work all that land without losing much money, and slaves were this solution. Furthermore, they could be bought and sold for money, just like property or products.======

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-In the South, you were higher class if you owned more slaves, and you’d usually live more in the “Cotton Belt” area. This was a region in the south where large farming was prominent (look at map on the side). Farmers with less or no slaves (Yeomen) settled in the backcountry. All in all, only a tiny portion of whites owned a significant number of slaves. In fact, a majority of the white population owned no slaves at all.======

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-Nat Turner’s rebellion represents a significant violent protest against white slaveholders. Slaves were gathered in rebellion, killing 60 whites, and although it was short lived, the rebellion had a huge impact. It caused the north to become more militant toward abolition. It also warned slave owners of the dangers that could come out of owning slaves.======

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-To combat this, laws were passed that prevented blacks from being educated; as it could aid them in unifying in rebellion. They needed to keep the slaves as dependent and “dumb” as possible. Even whites were denied free speech against slavery in the south. They would be persecuted if they were even found with abolitionist literature.======

-Finally, the owners exerted more power over the slaves to discipline the slaves.
Primary Document #1 (After the slide called 'Owners' Fear') http://www.dinsdoc.com/goodell-1-2-6.htm

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-Slaves were considered property, and were usually treated with little mercy. Slaves more towards the north usually lived and dined with their masters while those further south had less contact with their masters. However, the treatment was still the same. Communal ties between slaves were discouraged, and masters could go as far as murder or rape. To enforce discipline, masters would often threaten to separate a slave family, or more commonly, whip.======

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-As we mentioned before, slaves were a legitimate form of capital; so they were traded when they weren’t needed by their masters. Although it was an easy act for the master to do, it often broke up the families of slaves as blacks were sent from the northern south to the southern south.======

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-The yeomen were the farmers that lived in the backcountry, away from large plantations. Even though they owned little to no slaves, they supported slavery and were against abolition. Some of them actually wanted more slaves, as it would make them feel higher class. Since Yeomen were of the low, having slaves would make them reassured of their independence and liberty. Other Yeomen were against the planters’ intentions of slavery, but saw abolition as a threat to that independence and liberty.======

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-Slaves closer to the north had different working conditions than the slaves in the south. Since they were usually alone with their masters, they were isolated from other slaves and close to their owners all day. However, in the further south, slaves were worked in groups, and within those groups, slave “gangs” were born.======

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-Other slaves worked under certain task systems in which the amount they worked mattered more than how long. This allowed them to pace themselves more. They also stood up for their rights to rest and take Sundays off.======

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-Even though owners tried to discourage communal ties, it was inevitable, since slaves worked together all day. Family was one of the most important things keeping slaves unified. They were incredibly tight families, and the only thing that could break them apart was the trading of a family member. When this happened, it distressed the slaves greatly.======

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-Every slave in the community was treated as a direct relative, and slaves that were new were immediately “adopted” into the family. It allowed slaves to channel the oppression of slavery into one community.======

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-Although free blacks had formed the African Methodist Episcopal Church, most slaves were forced to attend their masters’ services. However, after dark, the slaves would gather and have their own forms of worship. This worship was influenced heavily by African culture, with chanting, singing, and dancing. However, they mainly got their messages from the Bible.======

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 * -**Moses, from the book of Exodus, was a huge influence on African American religion. He had freed slaves from Egypt, and the blacks could relate to him. They viewed this freedom not only as salvation and the afterlife, but the fact that God could free them from the bondage of slavery as well. From reading the bible, they were sure that the whites would be damned for their harsh treatment of the slaves.======

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-Slaves would organize rebellions, risking their lives for the cause of freedom. One successful rebellion was the Second Seminole War, in which the slaves teamed up with Indians to eventually gain the right to be freed and move together to the west.======

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-Other slaves knew rebellion usually wouldn’t work. Those closer north without family had (1)a better chance of escaping to the north and (2)nothing to lose, since they didn’t have a family. Some succeeded, some failed, but the Underground Railroad, a network of whites and free blacks, helped lead the slaves to freedom.======

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-Slaves with families and that lived further south decided to protest instead of escape. They would work really slowly, steal from their masters, and sabotage tools or animals. Some would even poison their masters, utilizing their cunning to overcome the power of their owners.======

Activity #2 - Reenactment Now that we've listened to some of the hard facts, we will give the students a chance to put up an enactment. The class will be divided in half, and each halves will be given a situation which they have to enact.

You are a single male slave, working for a master in the state of Virginia. Though all the slaves - including yourself - are dissatisfied and are suffering under cruel treatment of their masters, not many think of escaping their predicament. But you, my friend, are different. In the 5 minutes we will give you in this activity, you have to come up with the most possible and efficient way of escaping your master’s hands to freedom, taking into consideration your social and geographical circumstances. Good luck.
 * Situation #1**

You are a slave in Alabama. You’ve been serving for the same master in the same place for quite a while, so you have a family, and you know some other slaves in person. You held in your frustrations and pain you get from work by thinking about the ones you care about, but one day you reach your limit, and realize that you have to do something to escape the grasp of the evil master. In what ways are you going to rebel to your master? In 5 minutes, come up with the way that you think is the most efficient given your circumstances as a slave, and be ready to enact it in front of class. Good luck.
 * Situation #2**

Briefly do a roleplay in which they simulate the path they have chosen - after the reenactment activity

Just like the activity #1, we will watch the groups perform their role-plays, and then provide them what the most 'ideal' cases would have been. This way, the students can think over the materials themselves first, and then relate that experience to the factual information.

The most ideal choice would have been, in your case, running away from your master. It’s definitely easier said than done, but it was by far, the method of highest chance of success. The most famous system that led slaves out of the south to the north was the ‘underground railroad.’ The conditions given to you matches this method best, because one, you are a single male - meaning that you only had to worry about you escaping (since you don’t have a family), and two, you are in a state close to the northern states where slavery was not permitted, granting you less distance to run away to reach freedom.
 * Case #1**

In your case, unfortunately, you do not have the option of running away. Actually you COULD run away, but the chance of success was close to zero. First of all, because you have a family to take care of, you couldn’t run away with haste - women and children will have a hard time keeping up, and traveling in large numbers usually increases the chance of detection. Also, given that you are in a state that is far away from the northern states where slavery is illegal, it is simply unrealistic to run away. The most realistic and commonly carried out methods to resist against the masters for the slaves in such given conditions included poisoning master’s food and breaking work equipment. This did not grant them immediate freedom, but did the job of either lagging the efficiency of work - which meant less profit for the slave owners - or damaging the owner directly. It was more or less a form of silent protest
 * Case #2**

By doing this activity, we’re trying to prove that even if the slaves were working for people of similar kinds in the same country, the circumstances that they had to face everyday were different. Maybe the difference was small, such as having masters of different personalities, but sometimes the difference was so substantial that their lives as slaves would be totally different. Another point that is embedded in this activity was that even if slaves were considered as properties and were under total submission, they did resist both directly and indirectly.

But if running away, or defying the masters were as easy as it is to say, slavery would have never existed. So what do you think happened to those slaves if they were caught running away, or intentionally damaging the master’s property? Let’s have a look.

- This leads to our second primary document

Primary Document #2 http://www.vgskole.net/prosjekt/slavrute/29.htm

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-As we can see from the document, slaves were punished severely for trying to escape or for acting out of line. They were whipped mercilessly, and tortured elaborately and cruelly. The slaves were also humiliated with things like log chains.======

Lecture/Information

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-Tobacco was the main crop in the northern south, but it was bad for the soil, and would deplete the land of resources quickly. Therefore, there was a depression of tobacco in the northern south. This led to industrialization and urbanization in the north.======

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-The south had many short-staple crops to grow like cotton (the Cotton Kingdom), and could continue to make a lot of money. Therefore, when they exhausted the land, they would move westward and plant on new land. That was cheaper than selling slaves and renovating with the money.======

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-South was alarmed by their region’s lack of self-sufficiency, for they relied on the North for capital, marketing facilities and manufacturing goods. South didn’t want any ‘external’ economic interests.======

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-DeBow called South to develop its own industries, commerce and shipping, but the advice went unnoticed since the south was doing too well with their plantation economy that no one wanted to risk their money for new ventures.======

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-The union of slavery and cotton was central to the South’s prosperity, and it impeded industrialization, leaving the region dependent on a one-crop agriculture and on the North for capital and marketing======

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-The planters with many slaves were the ruling class of the South, and had huge influence in most matters and decisions. Held high offices and had high influence on public policy. However, they were unlike aristocracy in the sense that they earned the position, it was not always passed down to them.======

-Owners would try to justify their actions as to not feel so guilty for advocating slavery and treating slaves badly. They believed they were good masters and offered care and protection to the slaves, who, in reality, wouldn’t be able to survive on their own. They also believed in polygenesis- and the fact that blacks had not descended from Adam and Eve, and therefore, the right was given to them to rule over slaves. God had created them higher, and they were doing the right thing by watching over the slaves.

Activity #3 - Assessment Just to make sure that you guys were paying attention, and actually learned something worth knowing, we will be wrapping up our presentation with a Quiz session!

The rules are simple. We will read out a question, and in groups, you have to discuss, ring the bell given to you on the table, and present your answer. We have six questions, and the group that gets the most questions right will be given a present that will blow your minds. Let’s start.

State 2 clear reasons why the people in the South wished to maintain slavery.
 * Question #1**

__Accepted answers for Q1:__ Slaves being a physical capital --> they were like stocks, having a flexible value in the market. Keeping the slaves was much more economical for plantation owners, who often had to move around for fertile land The slave trade within the Southern states were big, having direct influence on many people’s wealth Slavery seemed to make even those who don’t own any slaves or wealth feel good about themselves

State 1 repercussion caused by the slaves’ rebellious actions and attitudes.
 * Question #2**

__Accepted Answers for Q2:__ Making the education of slaves illegal Disseminating and forbidding any slave gatherings Persecution of those with abolitionist beliefs

State 2 justifications that the white slave owners used justify their actions
 * Question #3**

__Accepted Answers for Q3:__ God had created them differently; whites were made superior to blacks. Whites considered blacks as being uncivilized, thus they felt ‘obliged’ to provide them with ‘protection’ and ‘care’ Whites thought that they were actually doing the blacks a favor by giving them work, place to live in, and food.

State 1 major difference between how the large scale planters and small scale farmers treated their slaves, and explain why that might have been the case.
 * Question #4**

__Answers should include:__ Large scale (plantation): not much interaction with the slave owner, worked with many other slaves, but still were under direct oppression and violence small scale (farm): much more interaction with the owner, such as working side by side, or even eating on the same table. Regardless, they were put under same, if not more, oppression and violence, and didn’t even have access to other fellow slaves. Many slaves preferred to work at bigger environments Accessibility of society, and the amount of attention each slave receives

Did the south industrialize quickly in comparison to the North? Explain your answer.
 * Question #5**

__Example of an acceptable answer (since answers could vary):__ The answer is a definite no. Although some people like DeBow advise the South to build its own industries, commerce and shipping, the majority of the South rejected this word of wisdom, for their economy was so well off with the slave-based plantation economy. Many planters could easily lay their hands upon money by growing and harvesting ‘cash crops.’ Consequently, the southern economy became largely dependent on agriculture, and eventually becomes a single-crop economy, for planters did not plant anything other than plants that would bring the the most money. Agricultural economy was chosen over industrialized economy in the South. On the other hand, the north industrialized relatively quickly.

**And we were kidding about the present. Slaves never got any rewards for their hard work, and that’s kind of how it feels. Sorry!**