Download Section 2: Class Structure

Section 2: DEEPENING DIVISIONS
CLASS STRUCTURE
Planters were divided into two categories --- large and small. Owners of large plantations
represented less than ___________ of the white families in the South but were they wealthiest
people in the nation. Owners of small plantations represented less than __________ of the
white families in the South. They controlled most of the wealth in the South and produced
most of its political leaders.
Yeoman Farmers were by far the largest group of white southerners; many were
______________________ farmers, who literally lived off the land with almost no cash money.
Poor Whites were the poorest yeoman farmers and might be squatters, day laborers, or those
who simply wandered from place to place seeking jobs, food and clothes.
Free Blacks were concentrated in the upper South in and a few free blacks owned slaves.
Although free in name, they could not travel without a pass in the United States.
Slaves were about 4 million of the total black population in the country. The majority lived in
the South and by 1860 about _____________________ of the slaves lived in Georgia.
THE ISSUE OF SLAVERY
The most divisive issue that led to the Civil War was the question of ________________. By
1800 the South was stagnant (not growing or changing); _________________ had depleted
the soil in Virginia and _____________________. Rice could only be grown in the coastal
areas and cotton was not cost effective. Eli Whitney’s, ________________________ greatly
increased the profits of growing cotton in the South. In turn, that led to a dramatic increase in
the number of ___________________ needed to cultivate “___________________________”.
By 1860, the lower South, which became known as the “_____________________________”,
produced most of the world’s supply of cotton and accounted for over __________________ of
America’s ______________________.
Abolitionists: 1820’s A second ___________________________________, a religious
revival, swept the country. This resulted in an increased interracial support for
______________________, the movement to do away with slavery. In Uncle Tom’s Cabin,
________________________________ wrote about slaves as individuals, portraying some of
the worst things about slavery and the fugitive slave laws.
The Missouri Compromise: 1819 – the United States had twenty-two states, eleven were
Slave States (states that did allow slavery), and eleven were Free States (states that did not
allow slavery). Representation was equal in the Senate; however, in the House of
Representatives, the ___________________ had more representatives than the
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___________________. Missouri applied for statehood as a slave state and Congress
adopted the Missouri Compromise in which _____________________ entered the Union as a
free state and _______________________ entered as a slave state. The measure also
prohibited slavery ________________ of the southern border of Missouri. This compromise
kept a temporary _____________________ between the free states and slave states in the
Senate.
The Dred Scott Decision: Dred Scott, a slave, was taken by his owner from a slave state of
to a free state. When Scott and his master returned to Missouri, Scott filed a lawsuit claiming
he was free since he had lived in a free state. ________________________ raised money to
take Scott’s case to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Court ruled:

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________
This decision further divided the North and South and pushed them closer to war.
Sectionalism – the belief by the people in a given region or area that their ideas and interest
are better and more important than those of another region or area.
The Compromise of 1850: 1850 - the United States had fifteen slave states, and fifteen free
states. If _______________________ became a state, the balance in the ________________
between slave and free states would change. The “____________________________” raged
as Congress tried to agree on what to do about California. Kentucky Senator proposed a
compromise bill.
Compromise of 1850 (Figure 23, p. 224)
Benefits to the North

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________
Benefits to the South

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________
Kansas-Nebraska Act: 1854 the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which created the
territories of __________________ and ___________________ and contained a clause on
____________________________, which meant that when a territory asked for statehood, the
people of a territory could vote on whether they wanted to be a free state or a slave state.
Northerners were angry because this law changed the _______________________________
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which prohibited (did not permit) slavery north of Missouri’s southern boundary. After
Congress passed the Kansas-Nebraska Act, bloody fights broke out between proslavery and
________________________, those who were against slavery and wanted land to be given to
western settlers for farming. When Congress rejected Kansas’s bid for statehood, southerners
again realized that ___________________ votes alone could keep slave states from the
Union.
ECONOMIC CONSIDERATIONS
Agriculture vs. Industry: The economy of the North was based on ____________________,
the South depended on ________________________.
Tobacco and
_______________________ were the two main crops, but there were also rice plantations on
the Georgia and South Carolina coasts. Southerners shipped most of their cotton to
_____________________ states where mills made Textile and Thread. Few farmers and
planters of the antebellum South were interested in _____________________________.
Tariffs - taxes on imported goods. Northern states wanted ________________ countries that
shipped goods to the United States to pay ____________________________. Thus, items
made in the North would cost ________________ than imported ones. Southern states
bought many of their ___________________________ goods from foreign countries. They
did not want the prices they paid for imports made higher by __________________________.
____________________________ threatened to secede from the Union because a new tariff
was too high. During the Panic of 1857 nearly five thousand northern industries went
________________________. Higher tariffs would have stopped British imports to the United
States, which would in turn benefit the North. Because there were so few factories in the
South, the depression did not hurt southerners badly and their representatives refused to
__________________________ higher tariffs.
Section 3: SLAVERY AS A WAY OF LIFE
Work Routines: Jobs varied according to the crops grown in different parts of the state. Rice
Plantations were said to have the “hardest work” that slaves could have. _________________
and ___________________ were equally demanding crops. Field hands worked in the fields
six days a week. Owners and ________________________ always watched slaves to make
sure they stayed busy. _________________________, older slaves the plantation owner
thought were loyal, were also used to supervise the field hands and direct them to their work
location. Slave women, men and children all worked until they were too old or too sick to be of
any use.
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Slave Families: Masters encouraged slave women to marry men on adjoining farms or
plantations because any ____________________ that came from such a union became the
property of the woman’s master. The law, however, did not recognize slave marriages.
Changes in a master’s life made slave families especially vulnerable.
Religion and Education: Religion played a key role in the lives of slaves. _______________
were an important part of slave life, the words gave them ________________ and spoke of
faith in God and belief in ___________________. Some songs were written to send a
message – “Follow the Drinking Gourd” gave directions for the _________________________.
Education was almost nonexistent for most slaves. It was against the law for a slave owner to
teach any slave to read or write. In some instances, however, the owner or his ____________
used the _____________________ to teach their slaves the basic skills. Slaveholders feared
that slaves who could _________________ or __________________ might stir up discontent
among other slaves and lead to an insurrection.
Rules and Rebellions: (Gabriel Prosser, Denmark Vesey, Nat Turner, John Brown)
Strict laws passed in the South to curtail slave activity were the ________________________,
which took away nearly all rights of slaves. It was against the law for slaves to:
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Testify against a white person
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Show disrespect to a white person
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Make any type of contact with a white person
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Hit a white person
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Carry a weapon
Riding the Underground Railroad: The Underground Railroad was operated by a famous
conductor named ___________________________. She helped slaves flee the South and
travel to selected northern states or to Canada. Stops along the way were called
_______________________ where a lantern or a candle in a window meant warmth, a hot
meal or even a change of clothing. Even a _______________ hanging on a line gave
instructions. Before 1850 escaped slaves were safe when they reached cities such as
Philadelphia, Cincinnati, New York or Boston. But, after the
________________________________ was passed, Slave Trackers could go into any city,
capture the escaped slaves and return them to their owners in the South. The Underground
Railroad was extended to Canada.
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Section 4: ANTEBELLUM GEORGIA
Georgia’s Economy: Most of Georgia’s farms were less than 100 acres. A plantation owner’s
worth was largely measured by ____________________________. In major slave markets,
such as those in Augusta, Louisville, Macon, and Savannah the value of a slave was
determined by the cost of __________________________.
Education: Most Georgians had little education. Sons of some wealthy planters had
_________________ or went to private academies. About 20% of Georgia’s white could not
read or _____________. About ½ Georgia’s children were African-American and did not go to
school. State Legislature, using income from the state-owned Southern Railroad, the
__________________________________, set aside funding to begin free schools
Religion: ____________________ and _____________________ were the two largest
denominations. Slaves usually attended the same church as their owner.
Georgia Politics: The two major political parties in Georgia were the Whigs and the
Democrats. Democrats supported ______________________ and took a strong stand for
slavery. Whigs favored a moderate protective tariff and federal help for the South.
____________________________ and __________________________ both congressmen
from Georgia, led the Whigs. Democrat Cobb and Whigs Stephens and Toombs all asked the
citizens of Georgia to accept the __________________________________. Because of their
persuasion, the “______________________________” supporting the compromise was
adopted at a convention held in the state capital of Milledgeville. While Cobb was governor, he
encouraged the growth of Georgia’s ____________________________ and state support for
schools.
Georgians who did not agree with the compromise formed the State’s Rights Party. The party
wanted Congress to agree to protect ______________________ and
_________________________ before Georgia accepted the Compromise of 1850.
The Constitutional Union party broke after completing its goal of getting Georgians to accept
the ______________________________________. Some Whigs of this party joined the
____________________________________ which did not want immigrants to become
citizens or anyone not born in the United States to hold political office. It was a secret group
whose members answered questions with ____________________________________.
THE ELECTION OF 1860
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The Rise of the Republican Party: A new political party (1854) – one that had existed only in
the free states – is created. The _____________________________ grew quickly, attracting
anti-slavery Whigs and Democrats.
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The Election of 1860: Charleston, SC – Democratic National Convention 1860 – Conflict over
the party platform. Supporters of __________________________ of Illinois controlled the
platform committee and wanted to campaign on the issue of popular sovereignty. Southern
Democrats believed that slavery should be allowed in all the territories. The groups split,
Northern Democrats nominated _____________________ and Southern Democrats
nominated ______________________________. Whigs formed the Constitutional Union
Party, supporting the Union, and nominated _______________________. Republicans
nominated ____________________________________.
The Republican platform was:

Not against slavery and would not try to end slavery in the slave states
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Supportive of a Protective Tariff
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Availing free western land to settlers
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For the construction of a transcontinental railroad with one end in the North.
None of these measures would benefit the South.
ELECTION REVOLUTION IN POLITICS
For the first time, a party getting votes from only __________________________________
won the election. Almost all of Lincoln’s electoral were from free states. He won without
receiving a single electoral vote from states in the ________________.
Georgia Reacts to Lincoln’s Election: The act of pulling out of the Union is called
______________________. After Lincoln’s election, Southerners had to deal with the conflict
between ________________________ and state rights. Georgia was for the most part for the
Union; however, they were even more strongly for ___________________________, the right
to pass laws for the good of the state rather than accept laws forced on it by the federal
government.
South Carolina Secedes: South Carolinians had repeatedly threatened to secede if
____________________________ won the presidency. A little more than a month after the
election, ____________________________ left the Union. When a secession ordinance (bill)
was proposed in January 1861, __________________________ became the second state to
secede from the Union; later followed Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas.
Together these seven states formed the __________________________________________
and elected ________________________ president; ____________________________ vicepresident and _______________________ of Georgia was chosen secretary of state. Two
months later the first and only war within our nation’s boundaries will begin.
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