The Plantation Class

     By the mid 1800s, cotton was the king of the U.S. economy and slavery had become entrenched in Southern culture.  In less than a generation's span cotton had replaced tobacco as the nation's leading cash crop.  Owning slaves could put a farmer on the fast tract to success but many whites could not afford to own their own slave.

  Here are the notes for Friday's Class

Enjoy the weekend.

Cotton Gin Consequences

   Thank you very much for watching the debate last night and giving some feedback on how you thought the candidates did.  As we get closer to Election Day the impact of the debates increases and I think you will see both candidates handle themselves in a different manner then last night.
  
 In class today we examined how inventions can have both intended and unintended consequences. Alfred Nobel's invention of dynamite was intended to improve the safety of miners but during his lifetime he saw others use his creation as a destructive weapon.

  Eli Whitney's cotton gin was intended to improve the working conditions of slaves as well as white farmers who grew their own cotton.  The cotton gin would be a leading catalyst for the expansion of not only slavery but also the United States itself.

For homework tonight complete the table on cotton production and the growth of slavery.

Presidential Debate

      The first televised Presidential Debate was in 1960 between John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon.  To the audience that followed the debate on their radios Nixon was the most impressive candidate.  Those who watched the debate on television saw a calm and relaxed Kennedy out debate a sweaty and nervous looking Nixon.  That debate changed politics and showed how much of an impact television can have on an election. Here is a link of some important debate moments that have been captured on television.

        Tonight is the first debate between President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney.  While you are watching the debate be sure to to have your Debate Bingo sheet with you.  There is a great deal of talk about how the two candidates are going to respond to the questions and how they will react to their opponents.  The two men are going to be challenged on their core beliefs and policies, their temperament and how they handle the challenges would be something to keep an eye out for.

Eli Whitney and the Cotton Gin

     Sometimes or actions have unforeseen consequences.  When Henry Ford created his Model T automobile, he knew that he had created product that would make him a fortune. Ford new that his invention was going to make transportation faster and more efficient, what he did not envision was how his automobile would transform the culture of the United States. 

    

   Eli Whitney new that his cotton gin had the potential to make him money, he could foresee how his invention would revolutionize the American South and help cause the spread of slavery. 

      Eli Whitney was hired by Catherine Greene to solve a problem with cleaning cotton. Coastal cotton, which was grown in Georgia and South Carolina was very costly. Planters and farmers struggled to make a profit growing cotton.  Whitney's invention was supposed to make cleaning cotton faster and more efficient. In March of 1794, Eli Whitney was issued a patent for his cotton gin that could effectively clean 55 pounds of cotton in one day. 

   News of Whitney's invention made him famous across the South and many sought to recreate Whitney's cotton gin for themselves.  For the next 20 years, Whitney would spend a fortune defending his patent in courts across the United States.  The cotton gin would prove to be an economic success for the South, but an economic test for Whitney who would not make the fortune from his invention that he dreamed of.

    In the years following the invention of the cotton gin the production of cotton increased dramatically across the United States.  As more farmers began to plant cotton there was an increase in the demand for slaves.  

Over the past 20 years there has been an increased emphasis placed on the roles of slaves, southern planters, and Catherine Greene with the invention of the cotton gin.  Tonights reading offers different perspectives on the story of the cotton gin. 

Thank You...

   Starting on Monday we will begin a brand new Unit on Life in the North and South.  You can recycle all your notes from Unit I in your notebook but make sure to keep your ToolBox section intact.  Please say,  "thank you very much" to all of  the parents who came in last night for Back to School Night.  I appreciate you taking the time to meet with us here at the Middle School.

Enjoy your weekend,

Mr. Mullady

Quiz Practice Questions

1. Why was George Washington against political parties?



2. Why were most members of the Federalist Party located in Northern cities?



3. George Washington had originally intended on serving one term as President.  Why did George Washington serve a second term?



4. There are four themes that we need to keep in mind while we study history; Identity, Power and Resistance, Change, and Justice.  Connect Unit I to one of those four themes and explain how the theme is connected.

Jay's Treaty and Jefferson's Resignation.

       Washington issued the Proclamation of Neutrality in 1793, but he quickly found out that in order for the United States to remain neutral he would need the support and cooperation of the European powers.  Despite being neutral the United States was treated by the British as if they were at war.  Americans ships were attacked and their goods were seized by the British while in the Caribbean the British denied American merchants access to certain ports.  In the Great Lakes region the British had kept several forts on American soil and were trading weapons with Native Americans.

      George Washington sent John Jay to Great Britain to try and negotiate a treaty that would resolve these issues.  The British promised to remove the troops from the U.S., pay the U.S. for the damages done to merchant ships, and to reopen some of the Caribbean to American trade.  The British refused to compensate the Americans for money that was lost from slaves that were liberated during the American Revolution.   In return, the United States granted Britain a "favored nation" status that would guarantee the British exclusive trading rights as well as to pay the British back debt from the American Revolution.   John Jay knew that most Americans would not like these terms but understood that there was little the United States could do.  

        Alexander Hamilton and his supporters began to stage rallies in support of Jay's Treaty to help it get passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives.  Northern merchants and business leaders supported Jay's Treaty which guaranteed that trade with Britain would continue.  Thomas Jefferson and James Madison began to rally support against the treaty in the South and in rural communities.  Both groups used newspapers and demonstrations to try and convince the public.

       Thomas Jefferson did not want to be Secretary of State. He enjoyed his time working as a diplomat in France and believed that he would serve his country best as an ambassador. He only took the position after George Washington insisted on it. Jefferson quickly grew to dislike his position, he did not like living in New York City and Philadelphia. Government ceremonies and regal forums reminded him of the monarchies in Europe.

He also began to quickly distrust the Secretary of Treasury, Alexander Hamilton. He thought that Hamilton's Financial Plan was unwise and that the National Bank was unconstitutional. When Hamilton announced that the Federal Government would be assuming the debts of all the states, Jefferson saw this as a means of weakening the authority of the states. Jefferson believed that Hamilton and his supporters were betraying the values and principles of the American Revolution.

Tiring of arguing with Hamilton and realizing that he was a minority in the Cabinet, Thomas Jefferson asked George Washington to allow him to retire. Washington begged Jefferson to stay on for another year, to which Jefferson complied. On December 31, 1793, Thomas Jefferson submitted his resignation to Washington and returned to his home in Virginia.

H.W. Questions:

1.  Why do you think that most Southerners were against Jay's Treaty?

2. Thomas Jefferson believed that George Washington was favoring Alexander Hamilton.  What are two examples that support his theory?

3. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison organized a political party called The Democratic-Republicans.  In what part of the United States would you most likely find members of the party?

4.  What were two basic beliefs of the Democratic-Republican Party?