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 __________ enterprisesDedicated to producing staple crops for __________

Large labor forceManagement structureDivision of labor

Distinction between management & laborOwners did not work alongside slaves

Were a privileged eliteSaw themselves as community leaders

A “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 competitionEnjoyed 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 heredityActual 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 itGranted 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 necessityBlacks basically inferior, slavery had a civilizing

effectContrasted it to “evils” of “_____ slavery” in the

North

Defense of Slavery