Slavery in the 19th Century

Slavery in the 19th century contributed to the well-being and profitability of the South. The South relied heavily on an agrarian culture, initially growing tobacco in the upper South and cultivating rice on the coastal regions. Sugar was cultivated along the Gulf Coast, and much like rice, required extensive attention and labor. As the cultivation of tobacco waned and was replaced by the cultivation of short-staple cotton, demand for slave labor grew in the lower Southern regions.

With the high demand of cotton rising exponentially in the 1840s and 1850s, the prospect of great profitability drew settlers and farmers to the lower South. It is estimated that between 1840 and 1860, hundreds of thousands of slaves were moved from the upper Southern states to the lower states. Slaveholders in the upper South saw an opportunity to profit from the lower South's need for slave labor and sold many slaves to cotton plantations in the lower South.

Slavery in the South was often referred to as a "peculiar institution;" the South was the only area in the Western world, with the exception of Cuba, Brazil, and Puerto Rico, where slavery was still in existence. Though slavery separated blacks from whites, it also allowed slaves to develop a culture and society of their own. Slave codes were meant to dictate how and what slaves were and were not allowed to do such as forbidding slaves from leaving their master's property without permission, to be out after dark, to congregate with other slaves outside of church, to carry firearms, to testify against a white person in court, or to strike a white person in self-defense. These codes forbade whites from teaching slaves how to read or write and did not punish whites if they killed a slave while punishing him or her. The punishments for slaves also varied from master to master though slaves faced the death penalty if they incited revolt, killing, or resisting a white person. The living conditions of slaves also varied, especially between slaves that worked in the fields and those that worked as household servants. Regardless, slaves worked hard, often beginning with small tasks as children, and took on large responsibilities within their community. Women were charged with more tasks in addition to the fieldwork they had to do; they were also charged with cooking, cleaning, and child rearing. Slaves adapted to their lives through the development of their own culture. By the early 19th century, most African-Americans were Christians, with some converting to Christianity voluntarily and others being coerced. Though autonomous black churches were banned blacks throughout the South developed their own version of Christianity that was often considered more emotional than its white counterpart and influenced by African customs, traditions, and practices.

The development of the abolition movement arose from the revivalist movement in the North and the desire to create a perfect society in Christ's image and thereby perfect themselves. The abolitionists faced many obstacles including politics and unexpected racism in the North coupled with tolerance in the South. Abolitionists used empathy to gain supporters for their cause and argued that the Constitution had guaranteed equality for men regardless of race. Though abolitionists relied solely on voluntary conversion to their cause and rejected violence, they did inspire others to rise to action, sometimes with deadly results.