The Pre Civil War Era (Classroom Lesson)

• US History
• Middelbare school
• mavo, havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 1-3

The Pre-Civil War Era

A Divided Nation (1849-1861)

Lesson 1

What do you know about
the The Pre-Civil War Era?

Learning objective

At the end of this lesson you'll understand and will be able to explain the differences between the regions before the Civil War

What did you learn so far?

A few questions to refresh your memory

When did it happen?

Declaration of Independence

1. 1775
2. 1776
3. 1777
4. 1778

When did it happen?

Boston Tea Party

1. 1775
2. 1776
3. 1777
4. 1778

Pre-Civil War Era

• Period between the late 18th century and 1861
  
• Periode before the Civil War (1861-1865)
• Economic growth in the Southern States 
• Rise of the plantation system and the use of slave labor

Click on the image to enlarge

Industry in the North

• Agriculture was difficult in the North
• Textile factories were build to meet the demand of the grewing population
• The most important raw material, cotton, was imported from the South
• The cotton was made into clothes in the North
• Southern products were sold through the Northern harbors 

Agriculture in the South

• The agrarian economy was feudal and traditional
• Some grain and wheat were cultivated, but the economic heavy weight rested with the wealthy landowners who grew cotton and tobacco with slaves.
  
• Because of these low labor costs, there was little need for factories

Slavery

• After the War of Independence (1775–1783), slavery seemed to be doomed, also in the South. 
• The cultivation of tobacco and rice, for which slaves were used, was rarely profitable.
• Some slaveholders were inspired by the principles of the Revolution and let their slaves go.

Cotton Gin

• Before cotton can be used the fibers have to separated from the seeds 


• It took a single slave about ten hours to separate a single pound of fiber from the seeds
• Two or three slaves using a Cotton Gin (Eli Whitney, 1793) could produce around fifty pounds of cotton in just one day

How does the Cotton Gin work?

Cotton balls enter the gin

1

Wire teeth pull the seeds from the bolls

2

The cotton fiber and seeds are seperated

3

Effects

• The invention of the Cotton Gin caused massive growth in the production of cotton in South: from 3000 bales in 1790 to 400,000 bales in 1820
• Cotton became a very profitable product (again)
• As a result, more slaves were needed to pick cotton
• The number of slaves increased from 700,000 in 1790 to 3.2 million in 1850

Revival of slavery

• Already in 1800, most slaves were working in the cotton
• A minority was domestic help or laborer on a sugar or reed plantation. 
• Until 1808, plantation owners imported many slaves from Africa 
• This was prohibited after 1808, so plantation owners were 'breeding' slaves or used illegal trade routes from Africa for new slaves

Treatment of slaves (I)

• Slaves were lawless: slaves were treated as possessions, not as human beings
• They were not allowed to travel without the permission of their master, did not marry before the law.

Treatment of slaves (II)

• The life of most slaves was working 'from sun to sun'. 
• If they did not do enough, they could be whipped to blood.


• A normal family life was often impossible.
• It was very normal that men, women and children were separated, because they were sold to different slaveholders.

Treatment of free blacks

• Free blacks were also discriminated. 
• They were not allowed to own slaves in many federal states, carry weapons, attend education or testify against whites.
• In the North, the legislation was more flexible, but they were also discriminated there. 

Resistance?

• Despite their terrible fate, few slaves openly rebelled. 


• The blacks were a minority, had no weapons and were difficult to organize because they lived isolated on the plantations. 
• Rebellious behavior was punished horribly.
• Many slaves became christians: in the afterlife a better life was waiting for them

The revolt of Nat Turner was one of the few slave uprisings

Video

Looking at Nat Turner's Legacy 

Uncle Tom's Cabin

• Written by Harriet Beecher Stowe (1852)
• Describes the life of slaves on the plantations
• It is an anti-slavery novel
• The novel had a major influence on the discussion on slavery.
• It is said the novel "helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War"

Underground Railroad 

• A secret network of smuggling routes in the United States to help escape slaves from the South
• Escaped slaves could leave the Southern States and seek refuge in Northern States that protected runaway slaves.
• The Underground Railroad consisted of hiding addresses, safe houses and other facilities

Glossary

• antebellum
• slavery
• plantatation
• Cotton Gin
• Underground Railroad

Describe:

Underground Railroad

Important events

• 1793: Invention Cotton Gin
  
• 1853: Uncle Tom's Cabin is published

Important persons

• El Whitney
• Harriet Beecher Stowe
  

Write down three things 

• Harriet Beecher Stowe
  

• Harriet Beecher Stowe
  

• Harriet Beecher Stowe
  

you have learned this lesson

Write down one question about 

• Harriet Beecher Stowe
  

• Harriet Beecher Stowe
  

• Harriet Beecher Stowe
  

something you haven't understood so well