AMH2020 M5A

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School

Indian River State College *

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2010

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History

Date

Dec 6, 2023

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docx

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Uploaded by SuperHumanField12629

Assignment 5 - Rise of the Deep South: The Assignment for Module 5 includes two short-answer question. Each is worth 5 points. Base your answer on the information presented in the Rise of the Deep South Sway lesson (and the primary source included within the lesson). Do not use outside sources. Do not copy or share answers. Provide specific details/examples. 1) Answer the first question in 2 paragraphs: Many during the revolutionary era had assumed that slavery would die a natural death. It did not. Why did slavery end up expanding in the South? In other words, what allowed for the expansion of slavery? (Note: the video lecture is important for answering this question.) Cotton production in the United States was transformed with the introduction of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney in 1793. Before the cotton gin, processing cotton was a labor-intensive and time-consuming process requiring much manual labor. It involved removing the seeds from the cotton fibers by hand, which was tedious and slow. However, the cotton gin changed everything by making the process faster and more efficient. The machine used a set of rollers and brushes to separate the seeds from the cotton fibers, significantly increasing the processing speed. As a result, cotton became more profitable, and its production increased significantly. This led to a boom in cotton farming, especially in the southern states where the climate was ideal for growing cotton. However, the cotton industry relied heavily on slave labor, and the demand for cotton led to an increase in the number of enslaved people in the US. The need for more slave labor was driven by the fact that the cotton farms required a lot of manual work to plant, cultivate, and harvest the crop. This made cotton one of the most profitable crops in the US, but it came at a significant cost to the enslaved people who provided the labor. When slavery was prevalent, the Southern economy relied heavily on agriculture. The cultivation of crops required a large workforce, and slave labor was seen as a cheap and efficient solution. This dependence on slavery had far-reaching consequences, as it led to the expansion of the institution. Despite the values and principles of the revolutionary era, economic interests ultimately allowed slavery to persist and grow in the Southern states. The economic benefits of slavery, such as increased production and profits, outweighed any moral considerations. This system of exploitation not

only affected the enslaved individuals but also shaped the entire social and economic structure of the South. 2) Answer the second question in 2 paragraphs. Be sure to use direct quotations from the source to support your answer (argument). Explain what the quotes show and how they connect to your argument. None of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention in 1787 had claimed that slavery was a moral system. By the mid-19 th century, however, pro- slavery Southerners began to argue that slavery was morally correct. To answer the prompt below, read and analyze the primary source by George Fitzhugh. Prompt: How did Fitzhugh attempt to defend slavery? (In other words, what arguments did he present in his defense of slavery?) What had prompted him to write his defense of the South? How might his background have influenced his perspective? In his arguments, Fitzhugh strongly believed that slavery was not only a fundamental but also an indispensable component of society. According to him, it provided care and protection for all individuals involved. Furthermore, Fitzhugh argued that the capitalist system in the North was far more exploitative of workers compared to the Southern slavery system. From his perspective, slavery was a more humane and Christian alternative to the wage labor of the North. He asserted that enslaved people were better off than Northern laborers who were subjected to harsh working conditions, paid low wages, and offered no job security. Fitzhugh's views were grounded in his belief that slavery was a natural and necessary institution that ensured stability, order, and social harmony in society. The growing abolitionist movement and the rising tensions between the North and South heavily influenced Fitzhugh's writings. Having grown up in the South, where slavery was a deeply ingrained part of the economy and

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