Deck 11: The South, Slavery, and King Cotton, 1800-1860

Question 1

The slave population in the South showed no significant growth between 1790 and 1830.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The development of southern industry:

A) lagged behind the North
B) was more significant than agriculture to the southern economy
C) was the only sector of the southern economy that did not rely on slaves
D) turned the North into a colonial dependency of the more developed South
E) was nonexistent before the Civil War

Answer 2

lagged behind the North

Question 3

Which of the following was NOT part of the myth of the Old South's superiority?

A) The standard of living in northern states had declined since slavery had been banned.
B) Kind planters indulged their happy slaves.
C) Slavery was beneficial to both the master and slave.
D) The South was morally superior to the North.
E) One southerner could defeat ten northerners in combat.

Answer 3

One southerner could defeat ten northerners in combat.

Question 4

The Old South was a socially, culturally, and economically unified region of the United States.

Question 5

The operation of the domestic slave trade often meant separating families from each other.

Question 6

The large-scale slaveholding planter class made up only a very small portion of the overall southern society.

Question 7

All the following might be used to explain the South's distinctiveness EXCEPT:

A) its climate
B) its preponderance of farming
C) its biracial population
D) the high proportion of immigrants that comprised the overall southern population
E) its determination to preserve slavery

Question 8

Denmark Vesey plotted a slave insurrection in Charleston, South Carolina.

Question 9

The South's population:

A) was more ethnically diverse than any other area in the country
B) had more immigrants from Germany than from any other country after the Revolution
C) declined significantly after the Revolution
D) had a high proportion of native-born, both black and white
E) was racially unified due to the region's ban on all immigration

Question 10

The percentage of the native-born population in the South was high in comparison to other parts of the country.

Question 11

Visitors to the South often had a hard time telling poor whites apart from small farmers.

Question 12

Tobacco was the first major cash crop of the South.

Question 13

Agricultural diversity in the Old South was practically nonexistent.

Question 14

One of the most realistic depictions of the Old South comes from the classic film Gone with the Wind.

Question 15

Free blacks were usually wealthy and highly educated.

Question 16

Men on the southern frontier generally avoided alcohol, gambling, or fighting.

Question 17

Falling crop prices and soil exhaustion spurred many residents from the Carolinas and Virginia to migrate to the Old Southwest.

Question 18

The South was overwhelmingly Catholic.

Question 19

A black overseer on a plantation was known as a driver.

Question 20

The movie Gone with the Wind:

A) realistically portrays slavery
B) mirrors the portrayal of the South in Uncle Tom's Cabin
C) presents a mythic view of the Old South
D) has little remaining influence in our culture
E) offended white southerners at the time of its release

Question 21

By the antebellum period, all of the following remained significant cash crops in the South EXCEPT:

A) cotton
B) sugar
C) rice
D) tobacco
E) indigo

Question 22

By 1860, the significance of Britain to the southern economy was based on the fact that:

A) Britain provided most of the slaves to the South
B) Britain was the major consumer of southern tobacco
C) British consumers sparked the growth of the thriving southern indigo trade
D) Britain had pledged itself to protect the institution of slavery
E) Britain was a major importer of southern cotton

Question 23

The plantation mistress:

A) usually led a life of idle leisure
B) often criticized the prevailing social order and racist climate
C) generally confronted a double standard in terms of moral and sexual behavior
D) was sometimes known as the slave driver
E) represented the typical southern white woman

Question 24

In the antebellum period, which of the following was in the Old Southwest?

A) Virginia
B) North Carolina
C) Mississippi
D) Georgia
E) South Carolina

Question 25

The focus on cotton and other cash crops has obscured the degree to which:

A) the antebellum South fed itself from its own fields
B) the South became totally dependent on the West for its food
C) the South relied on Britain for its manufactured goods
D) the North had to use imported cotton from overseas for its textile manufacturers
E) most white southerners lived and worked in cities

Question 26

Slaves forced to migrate to the Old Southwest were particularly despondent over:

A) the lack of meaningful work that awaited them
B) the control that women exerted over the region's culture and society
C) the absence of alcohol on the frontier
D) the urban and industrial nature of the region
E) the breakup of family ties that resulted from the migration

Question 27

Most southern men prided themselves on adhering to a moral code based on:

A) deference to female authority
B) racial equality
C) a prickly sense of honor
D) the disregard of elders
E) pacifism

Question 28

On a plantation, the position responsible for managing the agricultural production in every way was the:

A) driver
B) slave
C) field hand
D) overseer
E) master

Question 29

The rapid expansion of the cotton belt in the South:

A) reduced the significance of slavery
B) spurred a rise in the number of enslaved blacks given their freedom
C) ensured that the region became more dependent on enslaved black workers
D) increased the responsibilities of field work for the plantation mistress
E) eliminated the presence of all other staple crops throughout the region

Question 30

As southerners moved farther west and south between 1812 and 1860:

A) cotton production soared
B) the South became less agricultural
C) the South became less distinctive
D) fewer slaves were needed
E) North-South relations got better

Question 31

Life in the Old Southwest was characterized by:

A) a lack of women
B) pleasant working conditions
C) prohibition of alcohol
D) pacifism
E) opposition to slavery

Question 32

The Old Southwest:

A) included Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah
B) attracted thousands of settlers in the 1820s and 1830s with its low land prices and suitability for cotton production
C) attracted nearly twice as many female as male settlers in the early years
D) soon boasted the nation's highest standards of public education
E) was a promised land for slaves because of superior work conditions

Question 33

The frequency of dueling in the South was probably caused by:

A) hot weather that elevated tempers
B) lack of education of the participants
C) the absence of police departments
D) the beauty of southern women
E) southerners' exalted sense of honor

Question 34

Most slaves in the Lower South:

A) served as household help
B) supported the institution of slavery
C) escaped from their masters at one point
D) were white
E) labored on large plantations

Question 35

During the first half of the nineteenth century, cotton became the most profitable form of agriculture, surpassing:

A) swine
B) rice
C) indigo
D) tobacco
E) hemp

Question 36

Plantation mistresses:

A) tended to oppose slavery
B) very seldom toiled
C) were usually college educated
D) supervised the domestic household
E) could count on their husbands being faithful

Question 37

By 1860, slavery was most concentrated:

A) in the Lower South
B) in the Carolinas
C) in the Upper South
D) in Texas and Louisiana
E) equally through the South

Question 38

To be called a "planter," one had to:

A) own at least twenty slaves
B) work alongside slaves
C) be engaged in the slave trade
D) own thousands of slaves
E) avoid involvement in politics

Question 39

What portion of the South's white population had no proprietary interest in slaves?

A) one tenth
B) one fourth
C) one half
D) two thirds
E) three fourths

Question 40

Which of the following was not a part of the "masculine" culture of the Old Southwest's frontier?

A) violence
B) gender equality
C) alcohol use
D) gambling
E) sexual promiscuity

Question 41

Slave religion:

A) mixed African and Christian elements
B) caused slaves to accept their condition
C) required reading of the Bible
D) was stamped out by white masters
E) was best observed during racially integrated church services

Question 42

Slave owners in the antebellum South acquired additional slaves from:

A) Africa
B) Brazil
C) the domestic slave trade
D) the West Indies
E) Asia

Question 43

What was NOT a common way that slaves established their private communities?

A) openly attempted to organize religious services
B) told stories about figures like Brer Rabbit who used his wits to survive against overwhelming odds
C) gathered in secret night meetings where singing and dancing gave them a much needed emotional release
D) sang religious spirituals that possessed double meanings
E) embraced religion as a way to spiritually free themselves from their captivity

Question 44

Free blacks in the South:

A) sometimes owned slaves
B) were always of mixed race
C) enjoyed full legal equality
D) outnumbered slaves
E) mostly emigrated to Africa

Question 45

By the 1830s, most Baptists and Methodists in the South:

A) condemned slavery
B) owned slaves
C) were wealthy planters
D) were active in reform movements
E) defended slavery

Question 46

Which of the following was NOT a major motivation for whipping a slave?

A) illustrating absolute physical control
B) showing other slaves the penalty for bad behavior and poor habits
C) as a punishment for a crime
D) for failing to recognize the moral superiority of the overseer and driver
E) for failing to meet labor expectations

Question 47

Some free blacks were:

A) eligible to vote
B) immigrants from the Caribbean
C) local political leaders
D) people of mixed ancestry called mulattoes
E) considered equal to whites

Question 48

When in 1855 a slave named Celia killed her sexually abusive master, she was:

A) acquitted
B) applauded
C) freed
D) sentenced to life in prison
E) hanged

Question 49

Approximately how many slaves joined Christian denominations by 1860?

A) none
B) 100 percent
C) More than half
D) 20 percent
E) less than 1 percent

Question 50

All of the following statements about southern free blacks are true EXCEPT:

A) most were very poor
B) some were slave owners themselves
C) there were no women were among them
D) some owned and operated businesses that served a white clientele
E) they were still subject to racist legal restrictions not imposed upon whites

Question 51

Why were theories of racial superiority significant in the South?

A) They created a sense of unity that bridged class divisions among most southern whites.
B) They were primarily adhered to by the planter elite that owned slaves.
C) They played no role in encouraging white support of slavery.
D) They were created by slaves to justify their enslavement.
E) They fostered slave rebellions among slaves who believed in the inferiority of the planter class.

Question 52

The most numerous white southerners were the:

A) planters
B) yeoman farmers
C) "poor whites"
D) manufacturers
E) overseers

Question 53

The legal prohibition that denied slaves the right to marry:

A) prevented slaves from forming families
B) led to a devaluing of love in the slave community
C) did not stop slaves from choosing partners and forging a family life
D) reduced the significance of religion in slave life
E) did not apply to white mistresses who chose to marry a slave

Question 54

Why were slave women valued by slave owners?

A) They exclusively did the household labor.
B) They had low birth rates due to their oppression.
C) Their ability to reproduce increased the number of slaves owned.
D) They were allowed to marry white men.
E) They were solely responsible for harvesting the fields.

Question 55

Which of the following statements was generally true of slave life?

A) Their lives were very similar from place to place and master to master.
B) Masters saw the wisdom in feeding their slaves well.
C) Field hands were organized into work gangs.
D) Slave mothers saw the overwhelming majority of their children reach adulthood.
E) Punishments were only meted out when a serious crime warranted them.

Question 56

Slaves living in southern cities had a much different experience from those on farms because:

A) they were able to interact with an extended interracial community
B) they held political power
C) they almost always received a formal education
D) there were no women slaves in urban areas
E) only free blacks could own slaves in the city

Question 57

Approximately how many slaves lived in the South in 1860?

A) 30,000
B) 100,000
C) 1 million
D) 4 million
E) 10 million

Question 58

The rules that governed virtually every aspect of slave life were known as:

A) paternalism
B) a slave code
C) civil law
D) slaveocracy
E) total control

Question 59

Poor whites were often employed as:

A) day laborers
B) blacksmiths and other skilled labor positions
C) slave drivers
D) teachers
E) indentured servants

Question 60

Middling farmers in the South:

A) usually owned slaves
B) generally supported white supremacy
C) lived on the verge of starvation
D) were the lower class of the region
E) were outnumbered by the planters

Question 61

What roles did religion, folklore, and family life play in the lives of slaves?

Question 62

MATCHING
Match each description with the item below.
Harriet Beecher Stowe

A)plotted a slave revolt near Richmond in 1800
B)was hanged for killing her master when defending herself against a sexual assault
C)ran away from slavery in Maryland and became an outspoken critic of the institution
D)plantation mistress who was a critic of the plantation system
E)led a successful slave revolt on Saint-Domingue
F)allegedly plotted slave rebellion in South Carolina
G)free black man kidnapped and sold into slavery in the South
H)led the largest slave revolt in American history just north of New Orleans
I)author of Uncle Tom's Cabin
J)led a slave revolt in 1831 in Southampton County, Virginia

Question 63

The slave revolt led by Nat Turner:

A) resulted in his escape to Canada
B) was one of hundreds in American history
C) proved the influence of abolitionists in the South
D) was betrayed before it even got started
E) killed more than 50 whites before its suppression

Question 64

Describe white society in the Old South. What myths have been associated with its various groups? In each case, what was the reality?

Question 65

How prevalent were slave rebellions in antebellum America? Detail the most significant of the nineteenth-century rebellions and explain their significance to understanding the period.

Question 66

In what ways was southern society diverse? Explain how certain unifying factors tied the region together into what is known as "the South."

Question 67

How would southern whites attempt to prevent slave rebellions?

A) They met any sign of resistance or rebellion with a brutal response.
B) They tried to ensure slave loyalty through kind treatment and monetary compensation.
C) They had dark-skinned whites infiltrate and spy on slave communities.
D) They offered freedom and passage out of the South to the most troublesome slaves.
E) They taught slaves the value of hard work.

Question 68

Discuss the concept of honor in the Old South and what role, if any, violence played in everyday society.

Question 69

MATCHING
Match each description with the item below.
Solomon Northup

A)plotted a slave revolt near Richmond in 1800
B)was hanged for killing her master when defending herself against a sexual assault
C)ran away from slavery in Maryland and became an outspoken critic of the institution
D)plantation mistress who was a critic of the plantation system
E)led a successful slave revolt on Saint-Domingue
F)allegedly plotted slave rebellion in South Carolina
G)free black man kidnapped and sold into slavery in the South
H)led the largest slave revolt in American history just north of New Orleans
I)author of Uncle Tom's Cabin
J)led a slave revolt in 1831 in Southampton County, Virginia

Question 70

Why was organized resistance to slavery by slaves risky?

A) Most slaves supported slavery.
B) Southern whites possessed overwhelming authority and firepower.
C) Slaves were pacifists.
D) Slaves did not possess an alternative vision of what should replace slavery.
E) Slaves believed that disorganized resistance was far more effective.

Question 71

What made the Old Southwest different from other parts of the South? Why are those differences important to understanding the antebellum period?

Question 72

Discuss agricultural diversity as it relates to the Old South. Why did cotton become so important, and what significance did other crops hold for the region?

Question 73

MATCHING
Match each description with the item below.
Celia

A)plotted a slave revolt near Richmond in 1800
B)was hanged for killing her master when defending herself against a sexual assault
C)ran away from slavery in Maryland and became an outspoken critic of the institution
D)plantation mistress who was a critic of the plantation system
E)led a successful slave revolt on Saint-Domingue
F)allegedly plotted slave rebellion in South Carolina
G)free black man kidnapped and sold into slavery in the South
H)led the largest slave revolt in American history just north of New Orleans
I)author of Uncle Tom's Cabin
J)led a slave revolt in 1831 in Southampton County, Virginia

Question 74

MATCHING
Match each description with the item below.
Mary Chesnut

A)plotted a slave revolt near Richmond in 1800
B)was hanged for killing her master when defending herself against a sexual assault
C)ran away from slavery in Maryland and became an outspoken critic of the institution
D)plantation mistress who was a critic of the plantation system
E)led a successful slave revolt on Saint-Domingue
F)allegedly plotted slave rebellion in South Carolina
G)free black man kidnapped and sold into slavery in the South
H)led the largest slave revolt in American history just north of New Orleans
I)author of Uncle Tom's Cabin
J)led a slave revolt in 1831 in Southampton County, Virginia

Question 75

How important was slavery to the economy of the Old South? Discuss its effects on agriculture, industry, and any other relevant aspects of the South.

Question 76

MATCHING
Match each description with the item below.
Frederick Douglass

A)plotted a slave revolt near Richmond in 1800
B)was hanged for killing her master when defending herself against a sexual assault
C)ran away from slavery in Maryland and became an outspoken critic of the institution
D)plantation mistress who was a critic of the plantation system
E)led a successful slave revolt on Saint-Domingue
F)allegedly plotted slave rebellion in South Carolina
G)free black man kidnapped and sold into slavery in the South
H)led the largest slave revolt in American history just north of New Orleans
I)author of Uncle Tom's Cabin
J)led a slave revolt in 1831 in Southampton County, Virginia

Question 77

A typical form of resistance pursued by slaves entailed:

A) outright rebellion
B) running away
C) suicide
D) malingering, feigning illness, and sabotage
E) arson

Question 78

Trace the development of black society in the Old South. What were the different groups that comprised black society? What distinguished them from each other, and what tied them together?

Question 79

During the nineteenth century, major slave rebellions:

A) occurred frequently
B) were rare
C) were sometimes joined by poor whites
D) had about even odds of success
E) happened most often in the Lower South

Question 80

MATCHING
Match each description with the item below.
Gabriel Prosser

A)plotted a slave revolt near Richmond in 1800
B)was hanged for killing her master when defending herself against a sexual assault
C)ran away from slavery in Maryland and became an outspoken critic of the institution
D)plantation mistress who was a critic of the plantation system
E)led a successful slave revolt on Saint-Domingue
F)allegedly plotted slave rebellion in South Carolina
G)free black man kidnapped and sold into slavery in the South
H)led the largest slave revolt in American history just north of New Orleans
I)author of Uncle Tom's Cabin
J)led a slave revolt in 1831 in Southampton County, Virginia