Plantation Economy

Today in class we read some excerpts from Frederick Law Olmsted's Cotton Kingdom. Cotton Kingdom was originally published as a series of articles for a Northern magazine. In his work, Olmsted describes the Southern plantation system as being flawed and ineffective. Olmsted believes that it was this economic system that prevented the South from enjoying the amount of canals, railroads, turnpikes, and schools that the North had.

Olmsted is one of several hundred Northern authors, artists, and journalists to travel to the South to describe Southern culture. Some came to the South to write about the evils of slavery in hopes of convincing others to abolish slavery. Artists depicted the horrors of slavery that were published in many Northern magazines and journals. Here is a woodcut that depicts a slave child being taken from his family.

Artists and authors from the South responded to these attacks from the North with their own forms of propaganda. Books, articles, and plays were written that defended slavery, some even claimed that slavery was sanctioned by God. Southern artists created images of slavery that depicted slaves as being content and happy.

H.W. tonight is to finish the classwork from Friday.