Adam Rothman | Teaching Hard History: American Slavery, Key Concept 2

Summary

The script explores the integral role of slavery in the early United States, particularly the 19th-century cotton economy. It details the territorial expansion, the slave trade, and the establishment of plantations like the Palfrey family's in Louisiana. The story illustrates how enslaved labor transformed wilderness into profitable cotton fields, with a significant portion of the work done by children and women. The cotton's journey from plantation to global textile production underscores the interconnectedness of the Southern economy with international markets, highlighting the widespread economic benefits derived from slave labor.

Takeaways

• 🕰️ Slavery was integral to the early United States and transformed significantly with the rise of cotton in the 1790s.
• 🌱 The expansion of the United States, both diplomatically and through the displacement of Indigenous communities, was linked to the growth of the slave economy.
• 📈 The 19th-century slave economy was driven by the transfer of labor to new plantation areas and the migration of planters and capital.
• 📚 The Palfrey family serves as an example of how families capitalized on the new opportunities in the post-Louisiana Purchase lands.
• 🌳 John Palfrey and his sons established a cotton plantation in Attakapas, Louisiana, transforming wilderness into a profitable venture through enslaved labor.
• 👥 Among the enslaved labor force on the Palfrey plantation, children and women picked the majority of the cotton, accounting for about 80% of the total.
• 📊 A detailed record from the Palfrey family documents the weight of cotton picked daily by each enslaved individual, highlighting the labor distribution.
• 🌎 The cotton picked on the Palfrey plantation was part of a broader Southern, national, and international economy, marking the early stages of globalization.
• 🚢 The cotton was transported from Louisiana to New Orleans, then shipped to major cities like New York, Boston, and Liverpool.
• 🏭 The cotton was crucial to the Industrial Revolution, particularly in cotton textile manufacturing, which was a major industry of the 19th century.
• 💰 Profits from the cotton industry not only benefited Southern plantation owners but also flowed to Northern and European businesses, including brokers, insurance companies, and shipping lines.
• 🌐 The global reach of the cotton industry illustrates the interconnectedness of economies and the far-reaching impacts of slave labor during this period.

Q & A

How did the rise of cotton impact the slave economy in the United States during the 19th century?

The rise of cotton led to a transformation in the slave economy, as it fueled the territorial expansion of the United States and the transfer of labor to new plantation areas through the slave trade. This expansion and labor transfer were crucial for the establishment of profitable cotton plantations.

What role did diplomacy and the expulsion of Indigenous communities play in the expansion of the slave economy?

Diplomacy and the expulsion of Indigenous communities were key factors in the territorial expansion of the United States, which in turn provided new lands for the establishment of cotton plantations and the growth of the slave economy.

Why did John Palfrey and his sons move to New Orleans after the Louisiana Purchase?

John Palfrey and his sons moved to New Orleans to capitalize on the opportunities presented by the newly acquired lands after the Louisiana Purchase, where they saw potential for profit through the establishment of a cotton plantation.

In what region of Louisiana did the Palfrey family establish their cotton plantation?

The Palfrey family established their cotton plantation in a remote frontier region of Louisiana known as Attakapas.

How did the Palfrey family transform the land they purchased in Attakapas?

The Palfrey family turned a piece of wilderness in Attakapas into a profitable cotton plantation by utilizing the labor, muscle, and know-how of the enslaved men, women, and children they had purchased.

What does the document in the Palfrey family papers reveal about the cotton plantation's operations?

The document reveals a detailed tally of the weight of cotton picked by each enslaved person on the plantation for a year, showing the significant contribution of women and children to the cotton picking process.

What percentage of the cotton picked on the Palfrey plantation was attributed to children and women?

About 40% of the cotton was picked by children, and another 40% was picked by women, indicating that the vast majority of the cotton was picked by women and children.

How was the cotton from the Palfrey plantation integrated into the broader economy?

The cotton was transported to New Orleans, where it was loaded onto oceangoing vessels and shipped to major ports like New York, Boston, or Liverpool, becoming a key raw material for the cotton textile manufacturing industry that fueled the Industrial Revolution.

What was the significance of cotton textiles in the Industrial Revolution?

Cotton textiles were crucial to the Industrial Revolution, as they were one of the primary drivers of industrial interests and economic growth during the first half of the 19th century.

How did the profits from the cotton kingdom affect various businesses and industries?

The profits from the cotton kingdom were distributed among various businesses and industries, including cotton brokers, insurance companies that insured slaves, and shipping companies that transported cotton, leading to economic growth and development in the North and Europe.

Outlines

00:00

📚 The Transformation of Slavery and the Cotton Economy

This paragraph discusses the integral role of slavery in the early United States, particularly highlighting its transformation during the 19th century with the rise of the cotton industry. It explains how the territorial expansion of the U.S., both diplomatically and through the displacement of Indigenous communities, created new opportunities for plantations. The narrative focuses on the Palfrey family, who moved to Louisiana post-Louisiana Purchase to establish a cotton plantation in Attakapas. The family's business model involved purchasing land and enslaved individuals, whose labor turned the wilderness into a profitable cotton plantation. A key document from the Palfrey family papers, a daily tally of cotton picked by each enslaved person, reveals that a significant portion of the work was done by women and children. The paragraph concludes by connecting the local plantation economy to the broader national and international economy, emphasizing the role of cotton in the Industrial Revolution and the global trade, which funneled profits to various sectors including cotton brokers, insurance companies, and shipping businesses in the North and Europe.

Keywords

💡Slavery

Slavery refers to the condition of being owned by someone and being forced to obey them against one's own will. In the context of the video, it is the foundation of the cotton economy in the early United States, where enslaved people were the labor force that made plantations profitable. The script mentions the transformation of the slave economy with the rise of cotton and the territorial expansion of the U.S., illustrating the deep entanglement of slavery with the nation's economic growth.

💡Cotton

Cotton is a soft fiber that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant and is spun into yarn or thread and woven into fabric. The script highlights the rise of cotton as a catalyst for the transformation of the slave economy in the 19th century. It became a major commodity that drove the Industrial Revolution and was integral to the global economy, with the labor of enslaved people being the backbone of its production.

💡Territorial Expansion

Territorial expansion refers to the increase of a country's land area, often through diplomacy, conquest, or the displacement of indigenous populations. The video script discusses how the territorial expansion of the United States in the 19th century was linked to the slave economy, as new lands were acquired for cotton plantations, which in turn required enslaved labor for cultivation.

💡Indigenous Communities

Indigenous communities are groups of people who are the original inhabitants of a particular region. In the script, the expulsion of Indigenous communities is mentioned as part of the territorial expansion that facilitated the spread of cotton plantations and the slave economy, indicating the displacement and marginalization of these populations for the benefit of economic growth.

💡Slave Trade

The slave trade refers to the historical practice of trading human beings as property, often from Africa to the Americas. The script describes the transfer of labor to new plantation areas through the slave trade, emphasizing the forced movement of enslaved individuals to meet the labor demands of the expanding cotton industry.

💡Plantation

A plantation is a large-scale agricultural estate, typically one that specializes in a single crop and relies on a large labor force. In the video, the Palfrey family establishes a cotton plantation in Louisiana, which exemplifies the transformation of wilderness into a profitable enterprise through the labor of enslaved people.

💡Cotton Plantation

A cotton plantation is a type of plantation that specifically grows cotton. The script details the establishment of the Palfrey family's cotton plantation, illustrating how the land was turned into a profitable enterprise through the labor of enslaved individuals, who were the primary workforce in picking cotton.

💡Enslaved People

Enslaved people are individuals who are held in bondage and are forced to work without pay. The script provides a tally of cotton picked by each enslaved person on the Palfrey plantation, emphasizing the reliance on their labor for the success of the cotton industry.

💡Cotton Textile Manufacturing

Cotton textile manufacturing is the process of converting raw cotton into yarn, fabric, and other textile products. The script explains that the cotton picked by enslaved workers was the raw material that fueled the cotton textile industry, which was a major driver of the Industrial Revolution and a key component of the global economy.

💡Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution was a period of significant industrialization that began in the late 18th century and continued into the 19th century, characterized by the shift from hand production to machines, new chemical manufacturing and iron production processes, improved efficiency of water power, the increasing use of steam power, and the development of machine tools. The script highlights cotton textile manufacturing as a central element of this revolution, with cotton being the primary material that drove industrial growth.

💡Profit

Profit is the amount of money remaining after all the costs associated with buying, operating, and selling goods or services have been deducted from the total revenue. The script discusses how the profits made from the labor of enslaved people in the cotton kingdom were distributed among various stakeholders, including cotton brokers, insurance companies, and shipping companies, illustrating the economic benefits that slavery provided to different sectors of society.

Highlights

Slavery was deeply integrated into the early United States, especially with the rise of cotton in the 1790s.

The 19th-century slave economy expanded with U.S. territorial growth and Indigenous community displacement.

Labor was transferred to new plantation areas through the slave trade, contributing to the economy.

Planters and capital migrated to new regions, exemplified by the Palfrey family's move to Louisiana.

John Palfrey, a Boston merchant, established a cotton plantation in Attakapas, Louisiana, post-Louisiana Purchase.

The Palfreys purchased land and 21 enslaved individuals to work the plantation.

Enslaved labor transformed wilderness into a profitable cotton plantation.

A document in the Palfrey family papers details the weight of cotton picked daily by each enslaved person.

Children and women picked the majority of cotton on the Palfrey plantation, accounting for 80%.

The cotton economy was part of a vast Southern, national, and international network.

Cotton from the plantation was transported to New Orleans and then to global markets like Liverpool.

Cotton was a key raw material for the Industrial Revolution, particularly in textile manufacturing.

Profits from slave labor in the cotton industry flowed to Northern and European businesses.

Cotton brokers, insurance companies, and shipping companies benefited from the slave economy.

The multiplier effects of slave labor funneled profits into various sectors of the economy.

Transcripts

Slavery was woven into the fabric

of the new United States from the very beginning,

but it undergoes a transformation beginning

in the 1790s with the rise of cotton.

The rise of the slave economy of the 19th century

has to do with the territorial expansion of the United States,

both through diplomacy and their expulsion

of Indigenous communities.

It has to do with the transfer of labor to these new

plantation areas through the slave trade.

It also has to do with the migration of planters

and capital to these new regions.

So one family that I think illustrates that reality

is the Palfrey family.

John Palfrey was a Boston merchant,

a little bit down on his luck.

And just after the Louisiana Purchase,

he sees a whole new field for profit in these new lands

acquired by the United States.

So he moves to New Orleans with four of his sons,

and they establish a cotton plantation

in a remote frontier region of Louisiana known as Attakapas.

So they purchase land.

Palfrey also purchases 21 people — men,

women and children —

who he transplants to this new land in Attakapas.

They turn a piece of wilderness, really,

into a cotton plantation. And it’s the labor,

it’s the hands, the arms the muscle,

the know-how of those enslaved men, women

and children that make that land profitable.

Among the Palfrey family papers is a really

remarkable document that sheds light on the workings

of the cotton plantation.

It’s a tally of the weight of cotton that was picked

by each enslaved person on the Palfrey

plantation for a year, day by day.

We know from that record that about 40%

of the cotton that was picked was picked by children.

Another 40% was picked by women.

So the vast majority of the cotton picked

on Palfrey’s plantation was picked by women

and children.

But to really understand the nature of the cotton

economy of the early 19th century,

we have to follow that cotton from the Palfrey plantation

to where it ended up because the plantation

on the remote Louisiana frontier was part of a vast,

Southern, national and even international economy —

one of the first global economies of the modern era.

So that cotton picked by those women and children

would be hauled to New Orleans. In New Orleans,

bales of cotton would be put on oceangoing vessels.

Those ships would then transport it to New York, or Boston,

or even more likely to Liverpool,

where that cotton would then supply the raw

material that fueled probably the greatest

industrial interest of the first half of the 19th century:

cotton textile manufacturing.

It was cotton textiles that made the Industrial Revolution go,

and that cotton came from the Deep South.

So it’d be woven into yarn, the yarn into fabric,

the fabric into clothes,

and those clothes would then be sold across the world, really.

The profits that are made off of the backs of slaves

in the cotton kingdom —

some of it ends up flowing to the hands of cotton

brokers in New York,

to the insurance companies that are beginning

to insure the lives of slaves against death and disease.

The profits are going into the hands

of the shipping companies that are carrying

the cotton from New Orleans to New York and to Liverpool.

So there are these multiplier effects of slave

labor that end up funneling profits

into the coffers of Northern and European business as well.