©2007 Clairmont Press North Carolina: Land of Contrasts Chapter 8 An Agrarian Society Study Presentation

©2007 Clairmont Press

North Carolina: North Carolina: Land of ContrastsLand of Contrasts

Chapter 8Chapter 8An Agrarian SocietyAn Agrarian SocietyStudy PresentationStudy Presentation

Chapter 8: Chapter 8: An Agrarian SocietyAn Agrarian Society

• Section 1: A State of Yeoman Farmers

• Section 2: Masters and Slaves

Section 1: A State of Yeoman Section 1: A State of Yeoman FarmersFarmers

ESSENTIAL QUESTION– What was life like in North Carolina

in the early 1800s?


What words do I need to know? 1. yeoman2. subsistence farming3. spinning wheel4. loom5. blacksmith6. cooper7. neighborhood8. barter9. clubbing10. muster day11. court week12. justice of the peace13. camp meeting


Introduction• Most residents were yeoman who farmed

land they or a relative owned.

• Yeoman life was organized around families, seasons, and neighborhoods.

• Couples married when the man had his own land to farm. Weddings were simple and there were no honeymoons.

Subsistence FarmingSubsistence Farming

• Subsistence farming – feeding your family first from what is grown.

• Grains (corn, wheat, oats) and tobacco were important crops.

• Most families had a spinning wheel to turn cotton or wool into yarn.

• People depended on neighbors for goods and services.

Subsistence Farming (cont.)Subsistence Farming (cont.)JOB TASK

Weaver Used looms to make cloth

Blacksmith Made shoes for animals and repaired tools

Cooper Made barrels for storing items

The Neighborhood EconomyThe Neighborhood Economy• Neighborhoods were 5 to 8 miles across,

with a central meeting place.

• Bartering: trading one item or service for another. Neighborhood people bartered.

• Each neighborhood had 1 or 2 churches and people were obligated to them.

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Clubbing and DroveringClubbing and Drovering• Clubbing: neighborhood’s surplus crops

taken by one neighbor to market

• Clubbing was done in the fall, and took 2 weeks, ending with a harvest festival.

• Drovers: men who took livestock to market.

• The Buncombe Turnpike was the most used drover’s trail.


Life Outside the NeighborhoodLife Outside the Neighborhood• Muster Day: twice a year, men trained to

defend the state and goods were traded.

• Court Week: four times a year a justice of the peace came to settle court cases, goods were traded, and people socialized.

• Camp Meetings: held in August, weekend of religious services.

• Election Day: held in August, men came to vote, festivities held.


Life Outside the NeighborhoodLife Outside the Neighborhood• Christmas was celebrated at home with a

big meal.

• For “double Christmas”, neighbors gathered on December 26th to feast and play.

• All levels of society attended these events.


Section 2: Masters and SlavesSection 2: Masters and Slaves

ESSENTIAL QUESTION– What was life like for a slave in

North Carolina?


What words do I need to know? 1. plantation

2. staple crop

3. artisan

4. emancipation

5. slave code

6. quarters

7. free black


Introduction• North Carolina was a slave state.

• Slavery was not as dominant as in other states.

• About one-fourth of the population was slaves.

• Most slave-holding families owned only one slave.

Slavery in North CarolinaSlavery in North Carolina• Every county had slaves.• Most slaves were in the area where the

Tidewater met the Coastal Plain because:1. The soil was some of the best.

2. Lands were close enough to ports to make marketing costs low.

• The number of slaves in an area was related mostly to the type of soil there.

• Plantations: farms organized to produce subsistence and surplus crops.

• Staple crops: tobacco and corn

Life and Labor on a PlantationLife and Labor on a Plantation• Plantations were usually operated by a white family with more than

20 slaves.• Plantations used slave labor to clear and cultivate land.• Some plantations taught slaves to be artisans (skilled craftsperson).• Plantations organized gang work to cultivate and harvest fields.• Some plantations became their own neighborhoods, with stores,

schools, and even a doctor.

Prominent PlantationsProminent Plantations

• Somerset Place in Washington County was carved out by slaves. It was run by the Collins family. They made money from corn and had 20 slave cabins.

• Fairntosh in Durham County was the largest in the state, with a cluster of 6 farms. It was owned by the Cameron family, who had their own chapel and school.

The Condition of African AmericansThe Condition of African Americans

• Two conditions making a person a slave:– He or she had to be at least partially

African American.– His or her mother had to have been a

slave.

• emancipation: a slave was legally freed by a master.

The Slave CodeThe Slave Code

• The slave code outlined the social, economic, and physical place of slaves.

• Slaves had no freedom of movement. They needed permission to go anywhere.

• Slaves were denied advancement. They could not learn to read or write, or marry.

Life in the Slave QuartersLife in the Slave Quarters

• Slaves lived in one room homes made of logs.

• Most slaves had their own gardens.

• Quarters: the area of slave housing.

• Slaves bonded, held religious services, and sang songs from Africa.

• Slaves could be beaten, or sold and sent away at any time.

Free People of ColorFree People of Color

• Freed blacks were treated poorly.

• Most worked daily on farms or became tradesmen.

• Almost 200 free blacks owned slaves, partly to not be owned by whites.

• Some free blacks became successful craftsmen and businessmen.

• Life began to improve for all North Carolinians.



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©2007 Clairmont Press North Carolina: Land of Contrasts Chapter 8 An Agrarian Society Study Presentation