What Was The Southern Planter Elite And Its Impact On American Society And Politics

Miao Ling Tan Ms.Weisman US History 22 November 2017 Annotated Works Cited Bourne, George. From A Condensed Anti-Slavery Bible Argument: By a Citizen of Virginia.1845. Summary of Source: Slavery is not mentioned in the bible by that name or any other laws such as the constitution. They are only being described and written in another way.

The Southern Colonies, complete with beautiful plantation houses, and indigo and tobacco fields for as far as the eye can see. It sounds like a truly great and majestic place to settle in the New World -- and for some, it was. However, it was not as glamorous for some as it was for others. It all depended on a person’s social class. There are three main social groups found in the Southern Colonies.

Some historians argue that regional differences weren't the most significant part of the antebellum era (1800-1848). However, the North had a huge industrialization rise, the South had a huge demand for slaves with the invention of the cotton gin and there was continued expansion into the West and the settlers brought their cultures. Therefore, regional differences were extremely significant to the antebellum era as they caused growing sectionalism and tensions (especially over slavery) leading to the Civil War.

The Whigs however never formed a true party. In the election of 1836 the Whigs had three presidential candidates which were Daniel Webster, William Henry Harrison, and Hugh L. White. Eventually the successor of the three was William Henry Harrison with him winning people over with his log cabin campaign. When the Whigs captured both the white house and congress in 1840 with Harrison in office the future looked bright and Whigs looked poised to become the most dominant party. However, Harrison died a month into his tenure, and his successor John Tyler vetoed major Whig moves so the recreation of the Bank of the United States did not happen because of this.

In a speech in 1834 Clay compared Jackson’s enemies to the Whigs and this name was taken on by Jackson’s opponents. This term proved to be more unifying than National Republicans and they succeeded them as the principal opposition to the Democrats. In the 1836 presidential election, the Whigs were too unorganized to nominate a single candidate. Four candidates ran against Van Buren: William Henry Harrison, Hugh White, Daniel Webster, and Willie Mangum. Henry Clay chose not to run in this election partially due to the fact that he was experiencing grief over the death of his daughter

Andrew Jackson's popularity in the Democratic Party, both in the South, and West was due to his success as a general in the War of 1812 during the battle of New Orleans drove him to run for President in 1824 and 1828. His popularity gained after the “Corrupt Bargain” during the 1824 Presidential election. This election ended in a tie the first time because neither of the candidates got over 40% of the electoral vote. Jackson believed that the second round of electoral votes were rigged because most of the House was Democratic Republican and Henry Clay could sway them into voting for John Quincy Adams. John Quincy Adams won the 1824 election.

During the years of 1832, 1836, and 1840 the United States had two democrats in office and one Whig. In this paper I’m going to discuss the presidential election of 1828, 1836, and 1840 and the issues that were encountered during those elections. Andrew Jackson the 7th president of the United States was a democrat that had won against previous National Republican John Quincy Adams. Jackson was well known for his military success. He was also known for building the foundation for the Democratic Party.

Throughout the Deep South, manliness and honor defined the social status of the region. Each man had to live to the standards that the antiparty mentality proposed. Southern politics circulated the issue that political parties attracted those without a mind. Party supporters were mindless people who would follow the ideals of someone in a position of power, although no commonalities existed between commoner and politician. The southerners in Mississippi relied more on those in their community and shared beliefs.

In the Rise of the Whig Party (Republican Party) major conflicts over public lands, 2nd National Bank, tariffs, and slavery. Democrats drew most of their support from the South and West. Jacksonian politics produced 3 major changes in politics: voting rights for all white males, huge increase in number of elected offices in US, and practice of giving public offices and contracts to political supporters. The Whig Party rose to oppose Jacksonian politics. This was led by Henry Clay and Daniel Webster.

The treatment of slaves between the North and the South was drastically different. Slaves in the North typically lived in the same house as their master and worked by themselves, or in small groups (pg. 94). Slaves in the South tended to live in large plantations in which they were housed in plantation outbuildings (pg. 104). The difference between the North and the South in housing and working environment had a direct effect on the integration of African Americans into their new American society. When they were housed in the North with their masters and had limited exposure to other slaves, they tended to adopt the ways of their masters.

The impact of slavery on the Old South is a difficult measure to establish because slavery was the Old South. While the popular adage was “Cotton is King,” it was simply a microcosm of the delusion of the day. Truly, slavery was king. Slavery was the growing tension of the time, political catalyst and ironically crux of American power. To the masses, slavery was a social defining stance; the “peculiar institution” to some and a defining moral line to others, American life was changed depending on what view you took of slavery.

Since focusing on politics would of torn the Whig party apart they instead focused on personal characteristics. In eighteen forty Henry Harrison lead the Whig party to their first presidential victory in a campaign which focused more on his heroic military experience then the issues. During the late eighteen forties and early eighteen fifties slavery had become the major political issue. The disagreements and unwillingness to compromise among the Whig party lead to groups down fall.

The book, “Celia, A Slave,” is a true story written by Melton A. McLaurin and published by the University of Georgia Press in 1991. McLaurin was an educator at the University of South Alabama where he served several years as Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs before retiring. He is known for writing several articles and books about the American South and race relations. He wrote this book specifically about slavery and how women and men or blacks and whites were divided. Whites were superior in the United States.

For example, small farmers depended on the local plantation aristocracy for access to cotton gins, markets for their modest crops and their livestock, and credit or other financial assistance in time of need. The great cotton economy allowed many small farmers to improve their economic fortunes. Some bought more land, some became slave owners, and some moved into the fringes of plantation society. A typical white southerner was a yeoman farmer, who was also known as “plain folk.” These farmers owned a few slaves, with whom they worked and lived more closely than the larger planters.

Between 1800 and 1860 two major things changed within the country. The cash crops changed from tobacco and rice to the new money maker cotton. Along with the crops changing the slave trade grew to replace the economic short fall in the Chesapeake area. These changed occurred due to the supply and demand of commonly bought goods. Another contributing factor for the crops changing was the invention of the cotton gin in 1793 and the use of cotton in textile facilities.