Chapter 13: The SouthStudy Guide

Mrs. Miller United States History

Quote: “I desire above all things to be a ‘Farmer’. It is the most honest, upright, and sure way of securing all the comforts of life” – A young Georgia Man

OThis quotation illustrates the great pride yeomen took in their work.

1. How did slaves rebel against long hours?

OThey slowed down their work in the fields.

2. Why were slaves uneducated?

OTeaching slaves was prohibited in most states.

3. What rights did free blacks in the 1860’s have?

OThey could engage in business transactions.

4. What was the main problem with the production of tobacco before 1840?

OTobacco needed to be dried before shipping.

5. What was the “cotton belt”?

OAn area stretching from South Carolina to Texas that grew most of the country’s cotton crop.

6. What was the purpose of most of the early factories in the South?

OThe first factories in the South were built for the processing of crops such as sugarcane.

7. What started most cities in the South?

OMost cities in the South started as shipping centers.

8. What jobs did a planter’s wife have?

OA planter’s wife supervised the slaves within the household.

9. Why was industry not important to the South even after the 1840’s?

OPlanters received tax cuts to cultivate crops.

10. What was the “invisible institution”?

OSlave religion

11. Why did Southern cities pass laws to limit the rights of free

slaves? OSouthern citizens feared freed slaves would try to encourage slave rebellions.

12. What advantages did slaves with a trade skill have over the

average slave? OEarning money to buy their freedom

13. How many white families owned slaves in the South in the

1800’s? OOne–third

14. How did slave parents pass their culture to their kids?

OThey told folktales with traditional characters and morals.

15. What were Spirituals?OEmotional Christian songs sung by slaves

16. Why did cotton planters rely so much on rivers?

OThe lack of roads made shipping by land very difficult.

17. What were slave codes?

OStrict state laws that controlled the actions of slaves

18. What is the gang-labor system?

OFocused on the same task at the same time

19. How did wealthy whites use religion to justify slavery?

OGod created some people to rule over others.

20. What was Nat Turner’s Rebellion?

OMost violent slave uprising in the United States

21. What was a yeoman?

OWhite owner of a small farm

22. Why did the price of slaves drop after the American Revolution?

OCrop prices fell and the demand for slaves decreased

23. How was life in Southern cities similar to plantations?

OSlaves did most of the work

24. How was work different for slaves in a house?

OHad better food, clothing, and shelter

25. What invention caused the price of slaves to increase?

OCotton gin

26. What is crop rotation?

OChanging the type of plant grown on a given plot each year in order to protect the land from mineral loss

27. Where were slaves commonly sold?

Oauctions

28. What were Christian songs slaves sang?

Ospirituals

29. What was the 1st big cash crop?

Otobacco

30. Who owned small farms and worked along side their slaves?

OYeomen

31. What practice did farmers use to keep their soil fresh?

OCrop rotation

Essay 1. What were limits placed on the rights of free slaves?

OMost free slaves could not vote, travel freely, or hold certain jobs. Free slaves could not live in some states without special permission. Some free slaves had to be represented by a white person in business.

Essay 2. How did religion affect white southern society?

OWealthy southerners used religion to justify the institution of slavery. Church gatherings gave farming families a rare opportunity to socialize. Religion gave rural women an opportunity to volunteer.