This chapter covers the development and continued entrenchment of the slave labor system in the South. As cotton became "king," the slavery system became even more rigid and encouraged an economic and social system quite different from that of the rest of the country. While the slave culture was intertwined with the white plantation and yeoman culture, slaves built and maintained a supportive culture of their own.
After reading this chapter you should be able to:
Use the example of the Natchez community to illustrate the problems caused when slave owners tried to maintain a closed society and keep their slave system intact.
Explain the economic and social significance of the King Cotton economy.
Compare the planter and yeoman cultures, including how they were connected to slavery.
Outline the diversity of the American slave system and describe how the black community, both slave and free, mitigated its effects.
Trace the development of anti-slavery sentiment and summarize the pro-slavery arguments in response to it.
Discuss the experiences of Andrew Jackson as representative of southern experiences.
Trace the development of African-American culture by combining material from "Slavery And Empire, 1441 - 1770" (chapter 4) with this chapter.
