Slavery Flashcards
(35 cards)
When did President Lincoln free the slaves?
1863
What kind of work did most slaves do in the South?
They worked on cotton plantations.
By 1860, how many slaves were there in the USA?
Around 4 million.
What percentage of the Southern population owned slaves?
Around 25%
What was a typical Northern state like?
Had a growing population with many immigrants and developing industries like iron and textiles.
What type of work did some Northerners still do?
Worked on farms or earned low wages
What states did NOT have slavery?
Northern ones.
What States DID have slavery?
Southern ones.
What was the Southern economy based on?
Cotton production and plantation farming?
Why did plantations want to expand westward?
Because their land was becoming exhausted
Where could slaves be sold?
At auctions or in markets
What was it like for slaves at auctions?
Buyers examined them like animals - humiliating and degrading.
What happened to prices for slaves as the trade went on?
Prices increased for healthy and high-quality slaves
Where were most slaves employed by 1850?
On cotton plantations.
What other crops did some slaves work with?
Rice, sugar, and tobacco
What were the working hours like for slaves?
Most worked from dawn to dusk but could be called at any time.
Did slaves get time off?
Some slaves had Sundays off but still had to do chores.
Who had slightly better conditions?
House slaves - work was more predictable and less demanding physically.
Why did Southerners support slavery (4 reasons)
- Their economy depended on it.
- Believed black people weren’t “civilised” enough
- Religious belief that slavery was God’s will
- Social class - slaves were seen as bottom of society.
What was a major fear among Southern whites?
Revenge from slaves.
Why did Northerners oppose slavery (3 reasons)
Religious reasons - some parts of the Bible condemn slavery
The North was industrial and didn’t rely on slaves
Slavery damaged America’s global reputation - it was immoral.
What was the ‘Southern way of life’?
A plantation economy that relied on slaves
How many slaves lived in the South by 1850?
Around 1/3 of the population - 4 million
What work did most slaves do?
Agriculture, especially picking cotton on plantations
