CHAPTER 4: POLITICS, SLAVERY AND ANTEBELLUM SOCIETY

Titan Blaster #3:Complete the four “It’s Your Turn” questions on page 80.

POLITICS Politics cause

divisions within societies.

Antebellum means before the war.

In Mississippi, politics of opinion led to the capital being moved from Natchez to Washington even though most Mississippians lived near Natchez.

POLITICS Shortly after moving

to Washington, the legislature believed it was too small.

Jackson was created specifically to be our state capital in 1822. The original name of Jackson was LeFleur’s Bluff. It was renamed after Andrew Jackson.

All the streets were planned out.

THE CONSTITUTION OF 1832 Property

ownership was erased as a requirement to vote.

Any adult white male could vote and hold office.

Poor and uneducated whites usually elected rich whites into office.

THE CONSTITUTION OF 1832

An example of this was Andrew Jackson.

He was not born wealthy and had little education.

He became a lawyer, a wealthy land owner and was the hero of the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812.

THE CONSTITUTION OF 1832 Most state officials were

elected. The importing of

slaves was banned if they were going to be sold.

This was made a law but never enforced.

THE CONSTITUTION OF 1832 The Constitution of 1832 showed that slavery

was a troubling issue, but necessary to Mississippi’s economy.

Some people did not think owning other people was right (immoral). Some feared slave revolt. Other people knew there was two white classes: wealthy slave owners and the poor.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

County government met most of the needs of the citizens.

After 1832, an elected board of police ran each county. The board levied taxes, imposed special taxes to build courthouses and jails and to support the poor.

The board appointed supervisors to build and maintain roads and bridges.

It gave licenses to sell alcohol and run motels.

It supported schools for white children. County sheriffs enforced the law.

CHAPTER 4: POLITICS, SLAVERY AND ANTEBELLUM SOCIETY

Titan Blaster #4:List four things that the board of police were responsible for running in each county.

ACQUIRING INDIAN LANDS In order for the new state to prosper and grow,

the land and people had to be civilized. That meant the removal of the Indians who lived here. Traders opposed this.

The US government had a theory called assimilation. If the Indians could adjust to farming rather than just hunting, they would need less land. The Native Americans could not adjust as quickly as was required.

ACQUIRING INDIAN LANDS

Shawnee chief Tecumseh tried to unite all Native Americans to resist white movement into Indian lands.

Choctaw chief Pushmataha convinced his people not to join. Shortly thereafter, Tecumseh was killed and the organized Indian threat was over.

TREATIES TO ACQUIRE INDIAN LANDS Treaty of Fort Adams –

Choctaw ceded 3 million acres of land. The US built the Natchez Trace.

The Treaty of Mount Dexter – Choctaw ceded 4 million more acres in MS. They had their debts voided and pensions given to Indian leaders.

Treaty of Doak’s Stand – Choctaw gave more land including Jackson area, but were not happy with the land out west that they were to receive.

TREATIES TO ACQUIRE INDIAN LANDS Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek – Ceded

the last 10 million acres and agreed to move to Oklahoma. The voyage to OK was called the Trail of Tears.

Treaty of Pontotoc Creek – Removed the Chickasaw from North MS.

CHAPTER 4: POLITICS, SLAVERY AND ANTEBELLUM SOCIETY

Titan Blaster #5 – Turn in all 5:Complete the three “It’s Your Turn” questions on page 85.

SLAVERY IN MISSISSIPPI

Slaves were introduced to Mississippi by the French.

The Black Code of 1724 gave the rules for owning slaves to the Louisiana/MS territory.

SLAVERY IN MISSISSIPPI

The code restricted slaves from owning anything, traveling, and assembling together.

It did not address voting. They just couldn’t vote.

SLAVERY IN MISSISSIPPI

Slaves were generally kept on plantations or large farms.

More slaves came to MS during the American Revolution because English loyalists escaped down here.

SLAVERY IN MISSISSIPPI Slaves were used

to grow and collect the cotton crops.

The only slaves with any education were the skilled laborers.

THE SLAVE COMMUNITY

According to the laws of Mississippi, slaves were the property of their masters. They had no rights.

THE SLAVE COMMUNITY

Families could be broken up at any time.

Slaves were forbidden from learning to read or write, although many did.

THE SLAVE COMMUNITY

Many slaves adopted Christianity. Slave owners saw religion as a way to control slaves. Slaves saw it as a path to freedom.

Many owners and overseers were poisoned.

THE SLAVE COMMUNITY

There were no slave rebellions in MS.

Slaves could only be freed if their owners gave them enough money to leave the state.

FREE BLACKS Not all blacks in Mississippi

were slaves. William Johnson of

Natchez was a barber who owned lots in town, a farm, and slaves.

He was murdered by a white man in the presence of more than two dozen slaves.

No one was charged since there were no witnesses.

Slaves could not testify in court.

CHAPTER 4: POLITICS, SLAVERY AND ANTEBELLUM SOCIETY

Titan Blaster #1:

Complete the three “It’s Your Turn” questions on page 98.

An interview with Fountain Hughes, a 101- year old former slave, taken in 1949.

ANTEBELLUM MISSISSIPPI SOCIETY

The state’s population grew faster than the nation’s when the Native Americans left.

Land was cheap. Banks gave out more paper money than they

had specie, gold and silver, to cover it.

ANTEBELLUM MISSISSIPPI SOCIETY President Jackson was popular in MS, but his

policies were destroying our economy. Jackson had all the federal money moved to

“pet banks” because they were state owned and friendly to him.

THE PANIC OF 1837

State banks were required to pay debts in specie. When they did not have enough, they folded.

Cotton prices fell and banks closed.

TRANSPORTATION, EDUCATION AND RELIGION

The most successful line was the Vicksburg-Jackson line. The main service of the railroads was moving cotton to ports.

The railroad came to Mississippi making Meridian a major city.

TRANSPORTATION, EDUCATION AND RELIGION Original schools in Mississippi only had terms of

three months. Only 1/3 of the white children attended. Ole Miss was opened in 1840, but closed during

the Civil War because most of the students and teachers joined the Confederate army.

Most people were Baptists and Methodists.