Civil war?

Question

Examine the statistics on slavery in the U.S. at the bottom of the document "Causes of The Civil War." What percentage of the total population were slaves in the lower South?

Almost one-eighth

Almost two-thirds

Almost one-third

After reading the Strengths and Weaknesses link, which of the following is NOT a major strength of the North?

The North manufactured 97% of all firearms.

The North had superior training facilities.

The North had 21 million people in 23 northern states.

96% of all railways and locomotives came from the North.

After reading the Strengths and Weaknesses link, which of the following is NOT a major strength of the South?

96% of all railways and locomotives came from the South

High morale

Superior training facilities

Southern troops and commanders were masters of improvisation

Answer 1

Selected Statistics on Slavery in the United States

(unless otherwise noted, all data is as of the 1860 census)

Total number of slaves in the Lower South : 2,312,352 (47% of total population).

Total number of slaves in the Upper South: 1,208758 (29% of total population).

Total number of slaves in the Border States: 432,586 (13% of total population).

Almost one-third of all Southern families owned slaves. In Mississippi and South Carolina it approached one half. The total number of slave owners was 385,000 (including, in Louisiana, some free Negroes). As for the number of slaves owned by each master, 88% held fewer than twenty, and nearly 50% held fewer than five. (A complete table on slave-owning percentages is given at the bottom of this page.)

For comparison's sake, let it be noted that in the 1950's, only 2% of American families owned corporation stocks equal in value to the 1860 value of a single slave. Thus, slave ownership was much more widespread in the South than corporate investment was in 1950's America.

On a typical plantation (more than 20 slaves) the capital value of the slaves was greater than the capital value of the land and implements.

Confederate enlistment data is incomplete because many records were lost when the South collapsed, but it is possible to estimate, very loosely, the number of men in the Confederate army who came from slave-holding families. For this discussion, click here.

Slavery was profitable, although a large part of the profit was in the increased value of the slaves themselves. With only 30% of the nation's (free) population, the South had 60% of the "wealthiest men." The 1860 per capita income in the South was $3,978; in the North it was $2,040.

Selected Bibliography

   1. Battle Cry of Freedom, by James McPherson

   2. Ordeal by Fire, by James McPherson

   3. The Confederate Nation, by Emory Thomas

   4. Civil War Day by Day, by E.B. Long

   5. Ordeal of the Union (8 vols.) by Allan Nevins

   6. Reader's Companion to American History, by Eric Foner and John Garrity

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