What was the ‘Cotton Kingdom’?
The antebellum South’s cotton‑dominated economy, centered in the Mississippi River Valley.
What was the domestic slave trade?
The internal buying/selling of enslaved people within the U.S., which expanded after 1808.
What is polygenism?
A racist theory claiming different races had separate origins, used to justify slavery.
What was the ‘concurrent majority’?
Calhoun’s idea that the South could veto federal laws it viewed as harmful.
What were filibusters (1850s)?
Unofficial military expeditions to expand slavery into new territories.
What is paternalism (in slavery)?
The claim that enslavers ‘cared for’ enslaved people better than Northern employers cared for workers.
What was the Southern honor code?
A cultural system valuing dominance, reputation, and protection of white womanhood.
What were slave quarters?
Living spaces where enslaved people built community, culture, and religious life.
Why was cotton so profitable?
Global demand + fertile land + enslaved labor created massive profits.
How did slavery shape the Southern economy?
It provided labor for cotton, which fueled both Southern wealth and Northern industry.
How did slavery shape Southern society?
It created a racial hierarchy that united white people across class lines.
What were the daily realities of enslaved people?
Forced labor, family separation, violence, but also community and resistance.
Why did free Black people still face restrictions?
White supremacy shaped laws and social norms even for free individuals.
Why did Southerners want new slave states?
To expand political power and protect slavery’s future.
Domestic vs. international slave trade?
International banned in 1808; domestic expanded massively afterward.
Enslaved vs. free Black experiences?
Free Black people had limited rights but avoided enslavement; both faced racism.
Southern elite vs. non‑elite whites?
Elite owned most enslaved people; non‑elite aspired to elite status but still supported slavery.
If a Southern politician argues slavery is ‘better than Northern wage labor,’ what defense is this?
Paternalism.
A man joins an unauthorized expedition to seize Cuba for the U.S. What is he?
A filibuster.
A family is separated when a mother is sold to another state. What system caused this?
The domestic slave trade.
