1860, the Upper South Was Considered as

¶ … 1860, the Upper South was considered as largely comprised of the states of: Arkansas, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia (Henretta,) Of these states Virginia totaled the larges population, at 1,105,453 combined residents, with a total slave population of 490,865 people, or roughly about 44% of the population (civilwar). This remarkable percentage of slaves within the population of Virginia as late as the year 1860 is astounding. Yet Arkansas, North Carolina and Tennessee also exhibit similar statistics, with the total slave population in the upper South ranging in general from 30-45% (civilwar).

Why such a large slave population? By this time in history, many New England and Northern states were certainly recognizing increasingly large numbers of freed slave citizens. Yet the upper South lived as though in the dark ages, with many people still subject to the whims of their owners.

Did other regions of North America exhibit the same patterns? Why did the Upper South have so many slaves still? Part of the reason, which will be expanded upon, is the people of the Upper South still lived primarily in a rural area, and were just beginning to become accustomed to the ideals of a more modern society. During 1860, the total population of the United States was approximately 27,489,000 (civilwar). Of that populations, roughly 14% were slaves in 1860 (civilwar).

However, in certain regions of America, such as the upper South the preponderance of slave population was double or more. The reasons for this are complex and varied. Most of the regions comprising the upper South were still very urban in nature and not as technologically and industrially advanced as other regions in the Nation, such as the New England States. Additionally, after 1860, there was a much greater movement within the United States toward greater equality and freedom of slaves (Henretta).

This movement toward freedom and more equal opportunities explains why areas of the west and Midwest did not compare to the Upper South in slave population count totals. As the move toward freedom and independence increased, new home owners in the west and Midwest were likely much less inclined to take on slaves as a means of supporting their farms and plantations. More than likely, they would rather hire a freed slave at an inexpensive wage, than risk taking on a slave that might catch wind of the freedom movement.

If such an instinct were to "implant" itself in the mind and personality of a new farmers staff, he could very well lose all of the support and workforce he/she had at the time. This could be a potentially devastating effect. Additionally, more support was growing among politicians, woman and citizens of the states to support the freedom movement during the mid to late 1800s (Henretta). This would explain why new landowners in areas of the West and Mid-west did not exhibit an large inhabitance of slave population.

It is likely they may be looked upon poorly by their future "neighbors." Not surprisingly, the lower South, characterized by States such as: Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi to name a few, exhibited even higher concentrations of slave populations during the 1860 Census (civilwar). This is due unarguably to the rural nature of the South, and the slow pace at which a plantation dominated "society" adapted to the more urban ways of an increasingly sophisticated and technologically advanced society.

One mustn't forget that the South fought to keep slavery as a legitimate business during the Civil War. Most of the individuals that kept slaves during 1860 had been born and raised to do so for generations. Changing the perspective and philosophy of generations is difficult at best, impossible quite frequently. It is reasonable to conclude that the population of slaves in the Upper South remained high during 1860, but also began to decline as increasing numbers of freed slaves became more abundant in the North.

The Upper South in 1860 began to demonstrate a slight decline in.