The Old South
What was the main crop grown in the southern economy?
cotton
What type of work did most enslaved people do in the South?
agriculture, especially on cotton plantations.
What was the main religion practiced by most enslaved African Americans?
Christianity
why did slaveholders fear slave uprisings even when few occurred?
Rumors and isolated revolts created constant anxiety that enslaved people would rebel violently.
Who was Frederick Douglass?
social reformer, abolitionist, writer, statesman, and one of the most prominent figures in the civil rights movement in the 19th century.
What group made up most of the white population in the South?
small farmers/plain folk
What was the difference between task labor and gang labor?
enslaved people had daily jobs and free time afterward in task labor, and they worked all day under close supervision in gang labor
How did enslaved people blend African traditions with Christianity?
mixing African rhythms, stories, and spiritual beliefs with Christian teachings
What role did communication and secret meetings play in resistance?
plan escapes, share news, and build solidarity.
What was the Peculiar Institution?
A phrase used by whites in the antebellum South to refer to slavery without using the word “slavery.”
What was the kind of idea used by slaveholders to justify slavery?
slaveholders cared for enslaved people like parents caring for children
how were families and cultures maintained despite oppression?
they formed strong family bonds, merged Christianity with African traditions, creating stories and songs about hope and resistance
What role did religion play in enslaved communities?
offered hope, a sense of equality, and a foundation for resisting slavery.
What was the Underground Railroad?
A secret network of safe houses and people who helped enslaved people escape to freedom in the North or Canada.
What was the Second Middle Passage?
The massive trade of slaves from the upper South to the lower South
What were the main differences in the Upper South and Deep South?
What were some common forms of resistance among enslaved people?
working slowly, breaking tools, running away, small acts of defiance
How did enslaved people’s families help preserve their culture?
passed down traditions, naming children after other family members, and family values
How did fear of rebellion shape southern society and laws?
stricter slave codes, more censorship, and increased control over both enslaved and free Black people to prevent future uprisings.
Who was Harriet Tubman?
Abolitionist who was born a slave, escaped to the North, and then returned to the South nineteen times and guided 300 slaves to freedom.
How did the South’s structure limit industry and immigration?
Wealth was tied to land and slaves, which discouraged factories and free labor.
How did slavery shape the social identity and community life of enslaved people?
a shared culture and sense of unity rooted in faith and family
how slave culture serve as a form of resistance to slavery?
music, folktales, religion, and family life showed independance, helping the rejection of the system's control.
How was the idea of freedom different between slaves and slaveholders in the South?
Slaves saw freedom as universal and God-given, but Slaveholders saw it as a special privilege that was only for white people.
What was Nat Turner's Rebellion?
An 1831 insurrection in Southampton County, Virginia, led by an enslaved preacher, resulting in the death of about sixty white people.