Unit 1 Three Worlds Meet Chapter 4 The

Unit 1: Three Worlds Meet Chapter 4: The Colonies Develop Section 3: The Southern Colonies: Plantations and Slavery Section 4: The Backcountry

The Southern Colonies were based on plantations and slave labor n n n Corn Indigo Naval Stores Pigs Rice Tobacco n n The south's soil, and the ability to grow crops all year round made it a perfect place for crops like rice and tobacco. These crops took a lot of people to grow them successfully. The south (and the plantations) had a lot of rivers to use as shipping routes. Since most plantations were self-sufficient, there wasn’t much of a need for a big cities in the south.

As plantations and the southern economy grew… n there was a bigger and bigger need for workers for these farms.

In the mid 1660’s, white servants began to leave colonial farms n They came as indentured servants, and when there time was up, they could leave. n There was a lot of free land for these indentured servants to go to – they weren’t stuck as indentured servants and were free to go.

Landowners needed workers n There were Native Americans around – but many had died, or knew the land well enough to just run away. n Only one choice left for the planters: African slaves. By 1750: 235, 000 enslaved Africans in the Americas (85% of them in Southern colonies). African slaves made up 40% of the south’s population.

The Plantation owners n n n Some of the very wealthy families formed an elite upper class of planters. Because they had more slaves, they could grow more tobacco, rice, and indigo. So, they’d make more money and could buy more slaves. n. There were a lot more small landowners with just one or two slaves. n n. They n n. Many n could not compete with the large plantation owners. gave up there land moved west. Some planters felt responsible for their slaves and tried to take care of them a little bit. Others were tyrants who would often use violence. An absolute ruler who governs without restrictions. and exercises power in a harsh, cruel manner

On large southern plantations n n About 20 -25 slaves would work together, with an overseer watching them. (worker hired to watch slaves) They’d work up to 15 hours a day. Lived in crude one room cabins. One weeks pay: a quarter bushel of corn and a pound of pork. They might be allowed to grow their own vegetables n n Africans still preserved many customs and traditions – music, dancing, and even religion. Family became very important to them.

Sometimes – to try and get even: n Slaves might work slow, damage goods or property, or do things the wrong way (on purpose), or pretend to not understand what they were being asked to do. n n There were even some slave uprisings and rebellions. (an attempt to overthrow someone in charge) Plantation owners then made even stricter slave codes and made their living conditions even worse.

And… there was “the Backcountry” (all along the Appalachian Mountains)

It was easy to start a small farm in this area n n n Had many springs and streams for water. Had forests for lumber (homes/fences/furniture/ etc). At first, a lot of Native Americans to trade with. n n Then there started to be conflicts with Native Americans – who were losing there land. In the late 1600’s many families moved there from the south (big plantation owners forced them to move.

In the 1700’s – many Scots-Irish moved into the backcountry n n n In 1707 – England Scotland combined to form Great Britain. This caused some problems for the Scots. Irish (who were already having problems with poverty and crop failures) So, they might as well come to the colonies. n n They brought their “clan system” with them. These clans were suspicious of outsiders and really stuck together – which really helped them survive in the backcountry.

In the backcountry, people were very self-sufficient. n n n They depended on no -one but themselves. It was a very simple, but very rough life. And… they often lived with Native Americans all around them.

More and more people moved further west and into the backcountry People moving further west: n The English n Southern farmers n Scots-Irish n The French (fur traders) and Spanish still claimed large parts of North America All these groups had conflicts with Native Americans – and sometimes had conflicts with each other.

Today's essential question: Is the American Dream available to everyone? Is there any way this idea of the American dream works for anyone in this time period of slavery? Why or why not?