Chapter 11:Review Questions

                                                        

Given that by 1860 the economic investment represented by the slave population exceeded the value of the nations factories, railroads, and banks combined.Explain how important slavery was to the national economy and the emergence of the United States as a great power.

-The slave population was essential to the United States, when cotton came to replace sugar as the worlds major  crop, it was all produced by slave labor. The United States (the south) became the "New World Slavery" after slavery was abolished in the British empire, and certain states of America. Slavery produced the Souths "white gold" as they called cotton. Cotton had become the most important commodity in international trade, it was so productive that three fourths of the worlds cotton supply came from the South, becoming the most important American export. Since slave trade from Africa was prohibited by the congress, slave trade took place within the United Sates. Slave owners bought, sold, and traded slaves at auctions. Everyone benefited from slave trade for example: southern newspapers carried advertisements for slave sales, the southern banks financed slave trading, southern ships and railroads carried slaves from place to place, and the municipalities earned revenue by taxing the sale of slaves. For the same reason the national economy of the United States depended on slave labor.

Describe slave culture, describe the similarities and differences among various regions.

-Although slaves were owned by their masters they managed to somehow keep their culture focusing in their family and church.The slave culture came from their African heritage, their dances and music were descendants from Africa as well as their ways of religious worships, and their methods of cures using herbs. Even though the slaves thought family was significant it was hard for them to maintain it due to the slave trade that was very common mostly among men. Slaves always feared the separation, slave communities had a higher number of female headed households.Each region had their own preacher, which would usually be a person who was also a slave.

Why did many white Southerners support slavery even when they did not actually own any slaves?

-Many white Southerners although they did not own any slaves they still supported slavery because they grew up with the believe that although they might not be as rich and wealthy as other whites, they were still white, and just for their color they were superior from the slaves, they were better. In way the Southerners could be called racist, although they did not own any slaves they still wanted them to stay as slaves just because they were dark skinned, they called them "dirty aliens", they did not even consider the slaves to be humans, if not animals.Most Southerners wanted to make themselves believe that even though they were not rich they were still better, they need to make the slaves feel as if they were less then them in order for them to feel better about themselves.

What meanings of freedom were most important to the slaves?

-The slaves although they did harsh labor they managed to keep some liberty which was very important to them. They centered on keeping themselves free in the way that they were not controlled completely and there wasn't always someone watching them. They also had the liberty to practice religion, although it usually had to be watched by at least one white person just to make sure that they were not planning anything against them. Although they were slaves they managed to become an important part of society.

What terms of slave resistance were practiced in the American South?

-There were many forms of slave resistance. One of the most famous event is known as The Amistad in 1839 which consisted of 53 slaves who took over a ship and made the captain take them to Africa. Another famous form of resistance is Nat Turners Rebellion which was when Turner led an uprising where he and other 80 slaves would kill whites. Small resistance would consist of slaves killing their masters whether it was by poisoning them or by refusing to obey to their demands.