The Southern colonies depended on slaves whether it was for the economy, society, or their own personal needs. Southerners who did not have slaves still depended on them just on the soul fact that they were beneath them and made them feel better about their place in society. The economy in the south depended on slavery for the cotton growing areas and slave trading. Slavery has played a huge role in the Southern Colonies in developing economical and society choices in the 1600s-1800s.
Southern society mirrored European society in many ways. When slavery originated it was made up of indentured servants, yeomen, and the wealthy plantation owners. Indentured servants were mostly from England and came over to America around 1630-1660. They were fairly young and most were not married. Their contract lasted about four to seven years and trading the servants in the south came into play around 1620-1770. The yeomen population consisted of families that held small areas of land that they used to cultivate to produce goods; these families were a non slaveholding population. They typically lived in areas like the Appalachians and Ozark Mountains. The wealthy plantation owners were families that were slave owners. They made their money by making the slaves to do their work and get much profit in return. Their population was only about 1,700 but was the highest class in the southern colonies.
Slavery played a role in all the southern colonies. It affected them in either a positive way or negative way. Slavery affected the yeomen in a negative way, because the yeomen were only able to produce a small amount of crops whereas the slaves that belong to the wealthy plantation owners were able to produce a mass amount, leaving the yeomen with very little profit. Even though the yeomen believed they could create a future for themselves and their families by farming and other agricultural opportunities, slavery came about they were in turmoil. The wealthy plantation owners were using this for their benefit; they were able to pay the slaves very little in exchange for the mass amount of crops they could produce. Slavery worked in a very positive way for the plantation owners.
Southern society was changing itself according to the needs of slavery because the southern economy was the foundation. This being said the numbers of slaves were rapidly increasing because of the rise of King Cotton in the lower south. The cotton area of the lower south were using slaves and depending on them much more than the upper south was with the tobacco kingdom. To keep up with the lower south, the upper south starting focusing more slave trade to help build their framings. It is important to recognize the diversity between plantation society and a farming slave-trading region.
The slave prices were increasing and due to high demands in the lower south, the upper south was failing with the tobacco kingdom. Since the upper south was failing, slave trade took off. The slave trade did help the upper south but there were many flaws. The slave rate was on its last legs of importance in the upper south meaning it had a weaker grip on civic loyalty than in the cotton states. This made the upper south divided on what their future held. They didn’t know whether their future was with the Deep South’s plantation economy or within the growing free-labor system just north of the south.
The lower south had advances like the warm climates and the cotton gin. Although many farmers could not afford the cotton gin it was a huge help to the crops. Regardless of the achievements the cotton kingdom did not carry a consistently of steady wealth to the lower south.
Despite the flaws of slavery in the south it had a necessary effect on society and its economy. Many African Americans came over to theUnited States as slaves and soon would be a part of our country. Slavery played a huge role in our history and madeAmerica what it is today.America is afree state and continues to learn from our mistakes and findings.

African Americans in the late eighteenth and early ninetieth century mostly lived in the south and worked there as well. The South was suffering many disadvantages with region situation and this affected the black farmer’s crops. The jobs in the Upper South for African Americans were that of mine, iron, furnaces, and tobacco factories offered jobs opportunities for blacks as well as the farming jobs. In the Deep South blacks owned a small portion of land themselves that could farm on. Blacks never would receive a superior job in the factories, because only white men would hold these jobs. Black women could not work unless they worked as a servant in a white person’s home. After the Civil War there were schools built for the African Americans. The African Americans who lived in the urban communities had colleges, churches, and even cubs that the women could attend.

In 1877 Black voting and black office holding was very common in politics. Black women activist had a banner of political leadership and in 1896 the National Association of Colored Women was brought about. This was made up of different cubs brought together to promote women rights and to bring racial encouragement. In 1890-1906 every south state turned on the blacks and enacted laws to do away with black voting all together. Although the fifteen amendment states “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” Southern founded new laws they could use against them. The southerners passed a

poll tax law, (had to pay a tax fee to vote) and many making it impossible for black people to vote. It was not until 1891 that the Supreme Court gave its approval to throw away the law keeping the blacks from voting due to the fourteenth amendment.

One of the most famous people in black history was Booker T. Washington. He was a most famous for his heart warming and motivating speech at the Atlantic Cotton Exposition which encourage blacks to adjust to the world around them. He also suggested to work for the whites and urn there freedom. His impacted speech lead to the blacks concentrating on building there outlasted communities because it was impossible for the whites power over blacks would not last forever.

There was a breakthrough in history for the African Americans and it was the Civil Rights Act. This would allow blacks to use hotels, theaters and railroads. Although they had a break through with the Civil Rights Act they faced one of the most difficult times in black history. In 1915 the Ku Klux Klan was growing strong with over three million members. They were a club who disliked immigrants including all blacks. The attack and impact they had on the racial part of our country need to come to an end. In 1925 the K.KK. began to fade. The north and south agreed to move the blacks in a second class citizenship which gave blacks even more rights.

In the 1920’s about one million black people moved to New York’s Harlem York, Chicago, and other urban cities. Harlem York was named the capital of the black community. Harlem York became a good home for the blacks and the first Broadway show casted a black actor in the play.

The African-American women play an astonishing role in the fight and struggle against Jim Crow. Jim Crow was a character in a song by Daddy Rice, a white man who painted his face to portray a black male. Jim Crow was a disrespectful charter that made black people seem dim-witted.  It was furthermore a very insulting word to the African Americans much like the word nigger. “In the 1900, the term was generally identified with those racist laws and actions that deprived African Americans of their civil rights by defining blacks as inferior to whites, as members of a caste of subordinate people” (The history of Jim Crow). Shortly after the Civil War, black women were slowly moving past slavery. They had high hopes of being housewives and did not want to work in the fields and tend to farms anymore.  The desperately wanted to raise their children and be mothers like the white women had been living for years. The Jim Crow Era made this almost impossible for the African American families. The era brought mobs that would beat black men, making their voice unheard in political statements and keeping men out of industrial work place. Since the black me had no say in the matters of their towns, jobs were giving to the “trusted” white men. This often put a burden on the wives, seeing as they would be the strong ones for their broken families. Black women would rely on their families and friends to stick together and support each other to pursue their civil rights they so rightly deserved and have a voice in America’s culture.

African American women were becoming a great deal more educated than any gender or race in the 1900s. Young black men would often tend to the fields to support their families. This meant neglecting their education to keep they family together. The women were giving lead way in the fight Jim Crow, and by studying hard to be leaders to end the battle. The women began to organize clubs that supported “anti-lynching legislation, suffrage for women, and the availability of higher education for both sexes” (The history of Jim Crow).

Perhaps one of the greatest organizations in African American history was the National Association of Colored Women (NACW). The black women were fighting for their rights in the world. The organization raised money to help further education, provide shelter, fund black schools, and healthcare needs. This was brought together by different cubs to promote women rights and to bring racial encouragement. Mary Church Terrell was the organization’s first president. The motto for NACW was “Lifting as we climb”. Terrell was a determined woman and lead her organization with these words, “Too long have we been silent under unjust and unholy charges; we cannot expect to have them removed until we disprove them through ourselves.” There were over 1,000 cubs all over America supporting each other through those rough times. They had faith that they would be treated as equals.

Organizations were in play for the Jim Crow Era against African Americans. The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) was working against the Fifteenth Amendment in an attempt to establish white supremacy. The Ku Klux Klan was founded in Tennessee with a rapidly growing population that was soon to be ran and operated illegally, by the Southern States. The KKK was a group of white supremacist that conducted raids and random acts of extreme violence to scare African Americans out of voting. This tactic was used as a part of the KKK campaign to declare ultimate white supremacy in the South. The blacks lost a lot of lives due to the blood spilling cult.

Given that the Fifteenth Amendment was not successful in protecting the African American’s rights to vote, due to the KKK operation. Congress passed a new act called the Enforcement Acts of 1870 and 1871. The Enforcement acts of 1870 coupled with the Fifteenth Amendment provided better protection for African Americans against violence and discrimination.

Even though the war was over it was still very difficult times for the Back culture. In 1890-1906 every south state turned on the blacks and enacted laws to do away with black voting all together. Although the fifteen amendment states “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” Southern founded new laws they could use against them. They passed a poll tax law, making it impossible for black people to vote. It was not until 1891 that the Supreme Court granted its approval to throw away the law keeping the blacks from voting due to the fourteenth amendment.

The road of accomplishments in the 1877-1920’s African Americans did change the world. Many whites refused to treat freed slaves equally despite to passage of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments. The Supreme Court tried very hard to provide equal opportunities for African American’s within the context of the new amendments. There were many unfair times and a time that the law twisted in the white man’s favor but they still fought for their rights as citizens. African Americans did begin to be treated more fairly as the mid 1900’s progressed. If the African American culture did not fight for their freedom in these hard times we would not have our president today. African Americans have showed this country that without our diverse race we would not be the land of the free. I wrote this paper because I wanted to people to understand how strong black women were in the south. This tells a story that some people might not be familiar with.

The Effects Slavery had on African American children’s lives in America
Children are impressionable and vulnerable for many years of their life, no matter what race they are and no matter where they live. Sometimes the circumstances of a child’s life are positive, and unfortunately sometimes they are negative. The environment in which African American slave children grew up was anything but positive, with oppressive authorities who refused to acknowledge them as equal human beings or much less treat them like ones. Culturally, slaves were perceived as property that could be owned and transferred, so there was little concern for the emotions or well-being of their lives. At such a young age, these slave children were subjected to psychological damage and abuse that ultimately had an impact on the way they interacted with others, viewed other human beings, and how they felt about the life they were forced to endure overall. Much of how these children responded was attributed to the slave-owner’s style of authority, and also by the influences of strength and wisdom from their family members, if there were any actual family with them at all. It is unfair to assume a child should understand its circumstances under slavery, and most of the time they never did.  The youthful spirit of these children were dampened but never completely stifled.  Kids will be kids no matter what, but these particular individuals suffered in a society that made them adjust to a life that was naturally unintended for them to live. A child is typically curious, energetic and

playful, and these qualities even survived through the harsh settings of slavery, despite the idea that they should not exist in that environment.

Enslaved children were particularly vulnerable to separation from their parents. Regardless of the fact that they might be separated from their family, the parents of the slave children kept a strong sense of identity for their family. The fathers would often give the children gifts and pass down family air looms to their children. They constantly tried to keep the family together or make them seem like they had a part of each other. When they could not be with their family they would become a part of a kinship group. A kinship group is when an extended family member or close friend would take the role of the child’s parents. They would be their new family during this hard time when their biological members were stripped away. The children were distracted from all the trials of slavery when they were part of a family or kinship.

Even with slavery’s hardships, slave children’s childhood was not always deprived from them. The children would find toys to play with. Many children played with home-made toys or they played with mud and sticks they found outside. They would also play games together to help them cope with their daily struggles of slavery. One of the most popular games the slaves played was tug-of-war. Singing songs together and dancing at night time was a very popular part of their culture. The slaves would sing songs about their lives to get the emotions of stress and frustration out. Slave children were not completely deprived of their childhood because they kept their sprits high and depended on each other for support.

The children worked a little differently than adult slaves. They would begin to work on the plantations at different ages. The younger children would tote water around and pick up rocks, and would also work in the yards to keep them free of weeds and manicured. Children around six years of age would tend to milking cows and feeding the animals on the farm. By age twelve they were considered adults and would be responsible for the same jobs as their parents.  Under all these horribly unfair conditions, it is impressive to note how strong and determined the slaves were in maintaining the few lively aspects of their existence. It was a combination of survival instincts and the knitting of support groups within their culture that helped them to bear all the surrounding forces of negativity.

While most people in today’s time could not imagine what it would truly be like to grow up as a slave, something anyone can appreciate is the fact that these children were able to stay as positive as they did and make the most of their situations. The amount of mental and physical strength displayed by slave children was beyond admirable. To be able to cope with the breaking up and destruction of their family while simultaneously enduring the hateful laws and treatment from their authorities could arguably be one of the most difficult scenarios imaginable for a human being to experience. By playing games and exercising their youthful tendencies, the slave children helped themselves to overcome the resounding negativity that permeated their lives. When viewed from the right perspective, the way in which the kinship groups formed was actually one of the most beautiful parts of the entire slavery-era. It represented that when united under forced maltreatment, a group of people can come together and support one another with love and encouragement no matter what. To think that certain people, especially children, were ever treated in this manner inside the United States is embarrassing and shameful to realize, but as the slave children did during their hardships, Americans and other people around the world should draw positively what they can from it all. Never giving up, keeping a hopeful attitude, and staying close to the people you love will always bring about positive results no matter how awful things can be.