TRINITY CHRISTIAN SCHOOLMRS. STEPHANIE HOLLAND

Chapter 11:Life of the People

in Antebellum Society

Antebellum: Before the [Civil W]ar

1790: Georgia was one of the poorest states

(a) Cotton(b) Slavery(c) Other reasons: railroad-building

system, textile mills, lumber yards, leather good factories, metal works, stone quarries

1850s: “Empire State of the South”

1860: Savannah is the largest & most important city!

King Cotton Comes to Georgia

1786: Sea Island Cotton from the Bahamas was introduced into Georgia Grew only on the coastal Sea Islands Long fiber cotton; made a soft, high quality cloth

Short Staple Cotton Hardy inland plant Seeds highly entangled with cotton fiber & difficult to

remove

1793: Invention of the Cotton Gin

King Cotton: Whitney’s Cotton Gin

Enabled the growth of cotton throughout the Piedmont and Coastal Plain: well-drained top soil, 200 day (non-frost) growing

season, 25-45 inches of rainfall/season, dry harvest season

Piedmont Region: favorable to industry Fast-flowing rivers powered cotton gins, textile mills,

and factoriesImproved means of transportation of goods to

the Port in Savannah 1820s: Steamboat Transportation 1840s: Railroad Transportation

King Cotton

Labor IntensiveRequired many hours hard workField Hands: planted, hoed &

picked the crop By HAND – NO machines

Planters needed a ready supply of cheap labor : Slavery

Cotton Production Steadily Increased 1790: 1,000 bales

(mostly Sea-Island variety) 1840: 400,000+ bales (Short Staple) 1860: 700,000+ bales (Short Staple)

Antebellum Life

KEEP IN MIND:

For most people, life was far

different than Gone with the Wind!

Occupation # of White Georgians

in 1860

Farmers 67,718

Farm Laborers 19,567

Laborers 11,272

Servants 5,337

Overseers 4,909

Clerks 3,626

Carpenters 3,219

Merchants 3,195

Planters 2,858

Factory Hands 2,454

Seamstresses 2,411

Teachers 2,123

Physicians 2,004

Planters: 2,858

Landowners who owned 20 or more field slaveseducated, dominant in state gov’tWealthy - but short on cash

$$ tied up in land and slaves – Not bank accounts Many unable to afford antebellum mansions Typical house: plain, unpainted, modestly furnished ; Separate

smokehouse, barn, grain storeroom & outhouse, slaves quarters and overseers’ house

Planters (cont’d)

Plantation Management: Planters managed plantations & many became active

in state and federal government Overseers directed work in the fields Planter’s wife directed the household & work

involving food, clothing and health needs of the slaves

Planters

Plantation Life: Comfortable Home: barbeques, political gatherings Church activities Travel Abroad Frequent Visitors Riding, Hunting, Private Libraries

Children Educated in Private Schools & Academies Sons attended school in the North Daughters attended seminaries in GA

Yeoman Farmers: 67,718

Owned land, usually less than 100 acres; strong sense of independence & self-respect

As much land as possible was dedicated to cotton cultivation Cotton could be readily sold for cash for the purchase

of items not grown at home (cotton and coffee) and payment for debts & taxes.

Grew what they ate: corn, wheat, oats, sweet potatoes, peas, beans; chickens, cows

Yeoman Farmers (cont’d)

Dwellings: Dogtrot cabin: 2 connected one-room log structures,

covered by a roof, with a floor Open breezeway enjoyed by farmer’s dogs

Frame cottageHomemade furniture, clothes, mattresses, quiltsFireplace: cooking & heating

Women: domestic chores – cooking, canning, gardening, making clothes, raising children

Men: farmed, supplied family with meat, maintained farm building

Yeoman Farmers (cont’d)

Recreation: Shooting matches Barbecues Dancing Wrestling & fighting Hunting & fishing Quilting bees Corn shuckings County Courthouse – place to socialize

Poor Whites – 1 in 10

Owned no land and got by the best they couldConcentrated in the pine barrens of S. GA &

mountains of N. GACrude dwellingsKept chickens and a few cattle or hogs

Men: hunted and fished for food to eat or sellWomen: raised small amounts of cotton &

corn for cash

Poor Whites (cont’d)

Looked down upon by everyone (including slaves)

Idle troublemakers with little ambition (Low energy) Poor Diet Diseases: malaria & hookworm

Often Illiterate

Black Georgians (cont’d)

Deprivation of fundamental human rights:Under GA law, slaves had NO political or civil

libertiesSlaves were protected by law from excessive

discipline or murderSlave marriages were not recognized in GA

Some owners allowed informal marriages between slaves

Still, slave families were often sold apart

Black Georgians (cont’d)

3,500 free blacks in Antebellum Georgia Purchased their own freedom or granted freedom by their

ownersUsually located in citiesDifficult situation:

Employed blacks were criticized for taking white jobs / Those unemployed were considered lazy

Whites were suspicious that they were helping enslaved blacks escape to freedom

1819 Report of Richmond County 194 Free colored men, women & children

Women: sewing and washing Men: steamboat pilot, barber, saddle maker, carpenter,

laborer

Black Georgians (cont’d)

West African Traditions + Southern Lifestyles = African American Contributions

Gullah: language spoken in Coastal Georgia (English words, African Structure)

Woodcarving, basket-making, quilting Okra, black-eyed peas, & other dishes Animal Trickster Tales used to teach wit & cleverness Spirituals, Rhythm songs, development of the banjo

Black Georgians

Lowest level of society99% enslaved – lives varied according to

owner and work assignments

Slaves in the Cotton Fields: Worked sun-rise sun-down with a mid-day lunch Exceptions: rainy weather, winter months & holiday

seasons; most owners allowed Sundays off

Black Georgians (cont’d)

Jobs of other slaves: easier life than field hands Household servants, nursemaids, cooks Artisans & Factory workers

Treatment by Slave-Owners: Some were cruel (frequent whippings) Some treated slaves as family members Most were a combination of the 2 extremes:

Slaves were an economic investment – their health was important to their productivity

Education

Georgia’s 1st Constitution called for schools in each county; however, the Legislature did not provide the funding to establish a true state-wide public school system.

Antebellum Georgians felt education was the responsibility of individuals Children were needed to work in the fields Children lived/worked far apart on different farms Roads were in too poor of a condition to allow daily

travel to schools

8

1817: GA Legislature creates a “Poor School Fund” to educate needy children

Parents too proud to send their children “Old Field Schools”: rural areas; one-room

schoolhouses with hired school teacher; paid by local farmers; teachers often under qualified – students received rudimentary education

1850: 1/5 adults was illiterateBest education went to student who were sent

to private schools & academies

Education (cont’d)

Higher Education in Georgia

University of Georgia: 1785: General Assembly chartered UGA 1801: Classes began at UGA

Graduates soon become leaders in state business and politics

1859: School of Law added to UGA 1918: Women are allowed into UGA

Education (cont’d)

1828: Medical College of Georgia est. in Augusta Cholera & malaria still uncontrolled Common diseases, infections & pregnancy constant

threats

1835: Oglethorpe University est. by Presbyterians

1836: Emory College est. by Methodists1837: Mercer University est. by Baptists1839: Georgia Female College (Wesleyan) est.

Religion

Many denominations were represented: Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Lutheran, Moravian,

Baptist, Jewish & Catholics

1796: Great Revival sweeps the South Camp meetings & revivals Blacks & whites attended Church membership increased and new churches est.

Religion

Religion & Slavery Early 1800s: Slavery denounced from pulpit 1830s: Slavery defended from the pulpit – eventually

leads to a N-S schism If slaves attended church, they did so with their

masters Slave-only religious meetings were forbidden by

masters (delivery from bondage) Secret meetings were still held

Religion

Separate Black Churches were founded during the Antebellum Period: African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AME Zion) 1st founded in the North; opposed slavery Real growth in the South didn’t occur until after the

War

Southern Reforms

Penal Reform 1816: New law code abolishing cruel punishments 1817: GA opens a state penitentiary

Criminals were to repent (be penitent) of their drimes) 1818: GA furnished county jails with clothing,

blankets, heat and medical attention 1823: Law passed making it difficult to imprison

people for not paying their debts

Southern Reforms (cont’d)

Reforms for the Needy 1842: asylum for the insane was opened in

Milledgeville

1847: School for the deaf opened at Cave Springs

1852: State takes responsibility for the Georgia Academy for the Blind in Macon

http://www.gpb.org/georgiastories/stories/dr_crawford_longs_painless_operations

http://www.gpb.org/georgiastories/story/king_cotton_and_the_cotton_gin

http://www.gpb.org/georgiastories/stories/wesleyan_female_college

http://www.gpb.org/georgiastories/story/georgias_african_heritage