American Culture: The South

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• HBO
• Studiejaar 1

American Culture 

The South

Topics

Southern Culture: What comes to mind? 

1860: North and South: Different Cultures 

Slavery in America 

Civil War 

Reconstruction 

Jim Crow Laws  

Which words come to mind when you think about the South of the USA?

Can you think of any representations of Southern culture in music or film?
Upload image of artist or film.

1860: North and South: Different Cultures

The Civil War from 1861 to 1865 can be seen as the violent conclusion to decades of diversification.

Test your knowledge on the differences between north and south circa 1860. 

The South

The North

Democratic party 

Republican political party  

economy was booming 

economy was stalling  

slavery

slavery was largely replaced by immigrant labour from Europe 

no large cities apart from New Orleans 

large cities were established  

ideal for large-scale farms (because of fertile soil and warm climate) 

industry flourished  

more abundant natural resources  

While most Northern states had abolished it, slavery remained crucial for the economy of the Southern states. To activate your prior knowlegde on the subject, try to figure out what the following concepts / picture have to do with slavery in America.

the Dutch 

slaves vs European indentured servants

tobacco

              the textile industry in England 

                                              Check to see if you were right

                                       on the following slide. 

Foundations of Slavery in America 

• 1619, Dutch ship with 20 Africans arrives at Jamestown 
• African slaves were cheaper than European indentured servants  
• slavery spread throughout the American colonies 
• 17th and 18th centuries, black slaves worked mainly on the tobacco, rice, and indigo plantations in the south
• the land used for tobacco was nearly exhausted and the growth of slavery in America seemed in doubt  
• However: 1793 invention of the cotton gin → South transitions from the large-scale production of tobacco to cotton 
• the mechanization of the textile industry in England led to a huge demand for US cotton
  

  → reinforced the region’s dependence on slave labour 

The life of a slave 

• slaves were completely dependent on slave owners  
• they were not allowed to learn to read or write  
• severe discipline and punishments 
• strict hierarchy among slaves (why?) 
• slave families were divided by sale or removal 
• scene from the movie Twelve Years a Slave 
  

Abolitionism (or the Anti-Slavery Movement) in the USA was the movement which sought to end slavery in the United States. What could the following images have to do with this movement? 

• Check the links on the following slide to see if you were right.

The Abolition movement 

Frederick Douglas

Harriet Tubman & The Underground Railroad

Harriet Beecher Stowe & Uncle Tom's Cabin

The Liberator 

4 book recommendations

Do you have any other book or film recommendations on this subject?

Put the events that led up to the Civil War in the right order. 

1

2

3

4

5

6

they tried to maintain an even balance between slave and free states 

Expansion westward: to limit or expand slavery, that was the question! 

1857, the Supreme Court’s ruling that all territories were open to slavery (Dred Scott case) 

Tension increased because of the Mexican-American war  

Republican candidate Abraham Lincoln is elected as president 

seven southern states form the Confederate States of America 

Which 7 states formed the confederacy? 

New Mexico

Kentucky

Georgia

Alabama 

Iowa

Utah

Florida

Mississippi

Wisconsin

South Carolina

Montana

Texas

Louisiana

Go online and find an image that relates to the Jim Crow Laws.

Is there still such a thing as institutionalised racism in modern day America?

Ideas for teaching on this subject

Lesson Plans 

Underground Railroad resources

Jim Crow Museum resources for teacher

 

Have you ever taught a lesson on this subject? Would you like to? Any ideas?

Test your knowledge on today's subject by doing the test on Quizlet.com 

What did you think of this lesson via LessonUp? Any tips and tops?