Slavery in America

Today you willl explore several different aspects of slavery. Follow the directions below and have fun!

1. Expansion of Slavery: The  Economic Side 

In 1794 Eli Whitney was granted a patent for his invention, the cotton gin. This new invention greatly revolutionized the Amercian economy. The machine quickly and easily separated cotton fibers from seeds. This made the one time and labor process intensive much more efficient and profitable. The cotton gin turned cotton into a mass produced product and boosted the American economy. However, in order to grow cotton large amounts of labor were required. Slave labor was most often used to meet this demand for labor. This meant that as cotton became more widely produced, slavery expanded also. Slavery was once found only in coastal areas but in only a few short decades slavery could be found as far west as Texas.

Go to the following link and analyze the maps which demonstrate the expansion of cotton and slavery: http://mappinghistory.uoregon.edu/english/US/US18-00.html. Then, go to the resource tab located at the bottom of the page and open the link entilted: The Westward Expansion of Slavery (Resource # 1). Complete this worksheet.

2.  Slave Culture: The Life of a Slave

Education: The opportunity for education that the slave held related directly to the beliefs and personality of the slave's master.  If a slave had an open-minded master, who cared personally for his slaves, possibly he would be educated.  Many masters saw slaves as below them and gave them no opporunity for education. 

In this activity, you will explore 2 different slaves’ experiences with education. Go to http://www.pbs.org/wnet/slavery/experience/education/narratives.html.  On the website, to the right, is a section titled Historical Narratives.  Click on Harriet Smith.  Then, click on the listening tab at the bottom left hand side of the page.  Listen to the oral account, while following along with the written text.  The accents may be hard to understand, but  following along with the written words will help you!  Then, answer the questions about Harriet Smith, which are listed below.  Move on to George Johnson, following the same process, and respond to the questions below.

Character 1:   Harriet Smith:  Did Harriet attend school?  Did Harriet know how to read and write?  What did Harriet learn on the plantation?  What was Harriet’s job on the plantation?

Character 2:    George Johnson:  How did George Johnson’s father learn how to write?  Who opened up the school?  Who was the school for?  What positions did the slaves end up holding?  Did this help or harm his business?  What was the slaves’ impression of Master Jeff? 

Music and Song:  Music played a very large roll in the life of the slave.  Drums, rhythms, and cultural dances were brought over from Africa with the slaves.  Songs were used to retell parts of the slaves' history, to worship, and also to express emotion.  Click on the Resource Number 2 below to read the lyrics of a poem common among slaves, and follow the directions on the PowerPoint to complete the activity as well.

Slavery in the United States eventually became an institution in which African Americans were sold for profit and forced to work for their white masters. The institution of slavery was held into place by a series of laws which prevented African Americans from gaining basic rights. To learn more about the legal decisions which supported slavery go to: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/slavery/experience/legal/history.html

Next, visit the following web page: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/slavery/experience/legal/feature.html. Choose one of the four cases to examine. Answer the following questions about your chosen case:

What legal rights did slaves have? Which laws did they cite in trying to establish their rights? How did judges interpret the law? What did the judge rule? Why is this significant? What is your reaction to this ruling?