CHAPTER 11 • SECTION 2 Families Under Slavery Perhaps the cruelest part of slavery was the sale of family members away from one another. Although some slavehold- ers would not part mothers from children, many RESEARCH & did, causing unforgettable grief. WRITINGGo online toCENTER explore more of the heated When enslaved families could manage to be debate at together, they took comfort in family life. Enslaved ClassZone.comHistory Makers people did marry each other, although their mar- riages were not legally recognized. They tried to Nat Turner raise children, while knowing that their children Find links to biographies of Nat Turner at could be taken from them and sold at any time. the Research and Writing Center Abolitionist Frederick Douglass, who was born @ ClassZone.com. Turner claimed that History Makers into slavery, recalled visits from his mother, who the ability to read came to him in a vision. lived 12 miles away. Nat Turner 1800–1831 However, some historians have speculated PRIMARY SOURCE that older slaves, perhaps his grandmother, Nat Turner (above left) was born into slavery in I do not recollect [remember] ever seeing my Virginia. He learned to read as a child and became taught him how to read. Others argue that mother by the light of day. She was with me in the an enthusiastic reader of the Bible. Enslaved people “ a son of one of Turner’s masters did so, night. She would lie down with me, and get me to gathered in forest clearings to listen to Turner’s despite laws that prohibited this practice. sleep, but long before I waked she was gone. powerful sermons. CRITICAL THINKING ANSWER —Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of” In 1831, Turner led a group of followers in killing Frederick Douglass Analyze Point of View He claimed about 55 white Virginians, starting with the family that his actions were dictated by God. of his former owner. It was the bloodiest slave Douglass’s mother resisted slavery by the simple rebellion in American history. In an account of act of visiting her child. Douglass later rebelled by events that he dictated to Thomas R. Gray before escaping to the North. A small number of enslaved More About . his execution, Turner called himself a “prophet” people rebelled in violent ways. and said that God had called him to commit his Slave Rebellions Armed rebellion by enslaved Frederick Douglass violent acts. persons was an extreme form of resistance to Douglass remembered seeing his mother slavery. Gabriel Prosser planned an attack on Rich- just four or five times before she died and CRITICAL THINKING Analyze Point of View How mond, Virginia, in 1800. In 1822, Denmark Vesey did Turner justify his use of violence? planned a revolt in Charleston, South Carolina. never knew his white father. He lived with Both plots were betrayed and the leaders, as well his grandparents and an aunt before being For more on Nat Turner, go to the as numerous followers, were hanged. ONLINE sent to work as a slave for a cruel man Research & Writing Center The most famous rebellion was led by Nat Turner BIOGRAPHY who gave him daily whippings and barely @ ClassZone.com in Southampton County, Virginia, in 1831. Begin- enough food to survive. ning on August 21, Turner and 70 followers killed In 1838, he ran away from the shipyard about 55 white men, women, and children. Most where he was working and traveled by of Turner’s men were captured when their ammunition ran out, and some were killed. After Turner was caught, he was tried and hanged. steamboat and train to get to New York Turner’s rebellion spread fear in the South. Whites killed more than 200 City, where he began living as a free man. African Americans in revenge. The state of Virginia considered ending slavery Working hard to educate himself, Douglass because of the upheaval, but the proposal was narrowly defeated. Some state became famous as he delivered lectures at legislatures, however, passed harsh laws that further limited the freedom antislavery rallies throughout the North. of both free and enslaved African Americans. For African Americans in the South, the grip of slavery grew even tighter. Unit 4 Resource Book • America’s History Makers, pp. 149–150 376 Chapter 11 DIFFERENTIATING INSTRUCTION: TIERED ACTIVITIES More About . Slave Rebellions OBJECTIVE Deliver a lecture about the life and ideas of Nat Turner or Frederick Douglass. In 1839, one of the best-known slave rebellions took place at sea on the slave Basic On Level Challenge ship Amistad. Ultimately the rebels were Provide detailed biographies Have students research and Have students research and caught and charged with murder. of Nat Turner and Frederick take notes on Nat Turner and take notes on Nat Turner and However, because the importation of slaves Douglass. Have students Frederick Douglass. Then Frederick Douglass. Then had been banned, the U.S. Supreme Court read and highlight key have students introduce have students introduce ruled that the Africans were kidnap victims information about them. themselves as lecturers themselves as lecturers and and entitled to do whatever was necessary Then have students introduce and deliver an antislavery deliver an antislavery lecture to escape. themselves as lecturers and lecture in which they share in which they compare Nat give details about Nat Turner Nat Turner or Frederick Turner’s experiences and or Frederick Douglass’s Douglass’s life experiences. goals with those of Frederick accomplishments. Douglass. 376 • Chapter 11 A Common Culture By the early 1800s, CHAPTER 11 • SECTION 2 a distinctive African-American culture had emerged on Southern plantations. This common culture helped enslaved African Americans bond together and CONNECT to the Essential Question endure the brutal conditions of South- ern plantation life. Religion was a cornerstone of African- What forces and events affected American culture in the South. Some national unity and growth? slaveholders had tried to use religion to Ask students what they have learned so far force enslaved people to accept mistreat- that can help them answer this question. ment, emphasizing such Bible passages as “Servants, obey your masters.” But enslaved people took their own mes- Students might mention: sages from the Bible. They were particularly inspired by the book of Exodus, • The introduction of the cotton gin which tells of Moses leading the Hebrews out of bondage in Egypt. Many increased economic growth in the South. enslaved African Americans believed that this story offered a message of • The issue of slavery divided many in the hope for their own people. Enslaved people expressed their beliefs in spirituals—folk songs that were South and in other parts of the country. often religious in nature. Many spirituals voiced the desire for freedom. • Cotton growers moved westward and Sometimes, spirituals contained coded messages about a planned escape or took over Native American lands. an owner’s unexpected return. African-American spirituals later had a strong (top) The Old Plantation, • Enslaved African Americans in the South influence on blues, jazz, and other forms of American music. late 1700s (above) Enslaved Africans developed a common culture. COMPARE AND CONTRAST Compare the different conditions faced by African brought the banjo to Americans in the South. the American colonies. Answer: Most Southern African Americans were enslaved; of these, about half worked on plantations. A small minority were free, but still had severely limited rights. 4 Assess & Reteach ONLINE QUIZ Assess Have students complete the Section Section Assessment For test practice, go to 2 Interactive Review @ ClassZone.com Assessment. TERMS & NAMES KEY IDEAS Unit 4 Resource Book 1. Explain the importance of 3. How did the invention of the cotton gin change • Section Quiz, p. 164 • cotton gin • Nat Turner Southern life? • Eli Whitney 4. What forms did resistance to slavery take? Interactive Review USING YOUR READING NOTES CRITICAL THINKING @ ClassZone.com 2. Causes and Effects Complete the diagram you 5. Analyze Point of View Why did many Southern Power Presentations started at the beginning of this section. farmers who owned no slaves support slavery? EFFECT 6. Connect Economics and History The cotton Test Generator gin made it possible to clean the same amount of cotton with fewer workers. Why did this result in an CAUSE increased demand for slaves? Reteach Have students use each subheading Eli Whitney invents Art to create a cause-and-effect question, such as the cotton gin. 7. Choose an African-American spiritual. Write EFFECT down and illustrate the lyrics, drawing any images or “What caused slavery to expand?” Have teams symbols used in the spiritual. of students take turns writing and answering the questions. Unit 4 Resource Book • Reteaching Activity, p. 167 National and Regional Growth 377 SECTION 2 ASSESSMENT ANSWERS Terms & Names Critical Thinking 1. cotton gin, p. 373; Eli Whitney, p. 373; 5. They hoped to own slaves themselves some Art Rubric Nat Turner, 376 day and become rich; it had become a Using Your Reading Notes customary way of life. Content Accuracy 2. Possible Answers: slavery grows; Southern 6. Because cotton could be cleaned much faster, 4 excellent; most important no errors economy expands; more cotton grown; Native more cotton could be processed and sold. images and symbols are shown Americans forced off Southern lands. Increasing cotton production meant greater numbers of workers were needed to grow and 3 good; some important images few/minor Key Ideas and symbols are shown errors pick it. 3. It made a few slaveholders rich and powerful; 7. Art should depict images and symbols 2 fair; few important images and several it resulted in a huge rise in slavery; it divided contained in the spiritual. Use the rubric to symbols are shown errors enslaved families.