HIST 202 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Solomon Northup, History Of The Southern United States, Yellow Fever
18 Apr 2016
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Minstrel shows (whites performing in blackface) were popular before & ater. They oten portrayed slaves as happy & content in slavery. Dixie land = theme song for confederacy. 10% skilled cratsmen coton required nearly year-round labor hoeing & preparing ields = feb / march planing = april june picking = aug dec slaves worked in gang labor systems divided into gangs of 20 25. Daily life & labor led by overseer & 1-2 black drivers . Coton picking was physically demanding & took an immense toll on slaves" bodies. Life expectancy of slave in south = 33 compared to 44 (whites) Perhaps female slaves sufered the most under plantaion system. In addiion to being forced to work in ields they were expected to regularly bear children & were oten forced to work while pregnant. On average, female slaves have between 6 & 8 children. Coton = cash crop; owners don"t want to spend money on slaves.
