Antebellum South Essay

Antebellum South was a critical point in the history of the United States of America. It included many economic improvements, governmental issues and positions, and an almost completely different way of life from the other half of the country. The term “antebellum” means of or during the period before a war. In this case, Antebellum South, meaning before the American Civil War. Some historians say this period started after the War of 1812, leading up to the Civil War, and others expand it to the years from the ratification of the Constitution to the war.

The history of the Southern United States dates back to hundreds of years ago. In 1781, at the Siege of Yorktown, the American Revolution was ended. The Constitutional Convention, in 1787,

ended with delegates creating a system of checks and balances with three different branches of government: the Legislative, Judicial, and Executive. This was the time when the South became a monumental bureaucratic force with the development of the United States. The South thought they had political stability with the approval of the Articles of Confederation. The two-thirds clause for the ratification of treaties allowed the South a preeminent voice in those matters and the attempts to disregard navigation of the Mississippi River. The Confederation was unable to maintain economic growth, and thus the United States Constitution was forced to be written.
In order to understand the economy and life of the South, it is best to understand and learn about the same things in the North in order to compare and think about the similarities and differences between the two parts of the United States. The North was an industrial, agricultural, and economic franchise. It had a greater percentage of middle class people. The North was largely dependent on farming, but not in the way the South was. It was easier to grow crops and the farmers could switch their crops every year without trouble. Farmers were investing in steel plows and mechanical reapers, reducing the labor time required in planting and harvesting. Women were hard workers and usually started working from a young age and earned money. A boom in the development of the North was established because many roadways, canals, and railroads were constructed. The North was essentially more developed and is closer to what we believe and do in the United States in today’s society and economy.
The South was known for agriculture and slaves.

It mainly consisted of upper class wealthy people. The people who were in the lower class were essentially unseen and their opinions did not matter in the lives of the Southern people. Rich, white men owned slaves and had many acres of farmland to grow either tobacco or cotton. In 1794, Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin. It was a machine that boosted the process of removing seeds from cotton fiber. Because of the high demand and profit from cotton, owners would buy more acres of land to grow more cotton on, meaning there was a greater demand for slaves.

Slave life in the South was a harsh concept. A typical plantation had, on average, 20 slaves. The total number of slaves in the Antebellum South was 3,953,696. The states with less than 30% slaves were: Delaware, Maryland, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, and Kentucky. States that contained more than 30% slaves were: North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Work on the plantation was never-ending. Male slaves tended the fields, pastures, and gardens. Females and children served as cooks, servants, and housemaids. They were often starved, whipped, or even

raped.
Southern white women were put on a pedestal. Many of these women were ardent advocates of slavery. Southern plantation mistresses were portrayed as the ultimate housewife because they were free of manual labor and aimed to focus on their children and husbands. They were meant to “look away” at affairs husbands would sneak out into the night and have with black slave women.
Slaves in the South would resist enslavement throught many forms of resistance, such as working slowly, damaging equipment, and even keeping alive their religion and culture beliefs.

One of the most ruthless rebellions occured in 1829 when Nat Turner organized a rebellion in Virginia. Close to 60 white people were killed, and the state later executed 5 slaves who were accused of being a part of the rebellion.

In 1847, a speculative case was brought before the United States Supreme Court. A black slave named Dred Scott was travelling with his owner, Dr. John Emerson, who took Scott to the free state of Illinois. Scott was unaware of his rights during his extended stay in the free state, and did not make a lega claim for freedom until he was back in Southern territory. Dred Scott went to trial, but lost because he was black, he was not a citizen, and had no right to sue. The Dred Scott Decision is named one of the most infamous cases in

history.
The abolitionist movement in the United States primarily started with the agitation of black abolitionists and the urgency among white abolitionists that feared maintaining slavery in this country would lead to even more violence. A revivalism called the Second Great Awakening inspired people to have reforms that included right for women, educational improvements, and the abolition of slavery. In 1860, Abraham Lincoln ran for president and believed that people who owned slaves were “just a product of the environment.” In 1863, Lincoln wrote his Emancipation Proclamation and pleasurably won over most of the influential abolitionists, including William Lloyd Garrison who had called the Constitution “a covenant with death and an agreement with Hell.” The Thirteenth Amendment outlawed slavery.
The economic, social, religious, technological, and political movements of the period of the Antebellum South had an enlightened effect in the course of the history of America, including the abolition of slavery, westward expansion, and movements of all sorts.