HIS 404: History of the Old South: Timeline Projects, Spring 2018

My topic for the timeline assignment is "What factors made Natchez, MS the wealthiest city per capita in the United States?".  For this timeline, the argument I am presenting is that three factors played important roles. First, the invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney created a very profitable staple crop as well as a demand for slave labor. The second factor that played a crucial role was proximity to the Mississippi River and the invention of steamboats allowed cotton from Natchez to more easily reach the port of New Orleans making trade faster. Third, wealthy planters in Natchez created a monopoly on land in the Natchez District which deterred young settlers and created a population in Natchez that was mostly successful, wealthy planters and their slaves. The cotton and the steamboat allowed for planters to generate large amounts of wealth and the exclusive nature of their society created a population that had a high wealth per capita. For my argument I relied on books written on the topic of agriculture in the Old South, the history of the steamboat, and the general history of Antebellum Natchez as well as scholarly articles written on the Natchez District. 

My topic is on the history of cotton in the American south. There is a brief touch on Mississippi's significance in the cotton market of the world. My argument is that America, especially Mississippi, was the cotton powerhouse of the world in the 19th century. I pulled a few sources from Mississippi History Now as well as a primary source from Frederick Law Olmstead and other credible sources.

This is a timeline that shows the progression of the domestic slave trade that occurred in the early to mid nineteenth century. The shift west and the growth of cotton led to this modernization of the southern economy. To prove the effects the slave trade had on modernizing the south, many different sources were used, including books, primary documents, and academic journal articles. The Slave Trade Abolition Act of 1807 is a primary document used to show the shift to a domestic, rather than an international, slave trade. Steven Deyle has two different works that both evaluate all aspects of the slave trade and how it helped modernize the Southern economy. Herman Freudenberger and Jonathan B. Pritchett present statistical research on population of slaves involved in the slave trade. Calvin Schermerhorn’s work shows the transportation, largely shipping impacts, of the slave trade.  A chapter of the book The Old South was used to provide primary documents on how the value of a slave was determined. The Emancipation Proclamation was used as a source, because it dissolved slavery, which ultimately ended the slave trade.

This is a legal history of property rights of married women in the Old South. Under coverture, married women had restricted property rights. At marriage, their property was given to their husband’s ownership. This timeline tracks the right of married women in South Carolina and Mississippi (two Southern states with the most research into married women’s property rights) to legally have some control or gain rights to their property after marriage.  

Black Americans played a significant role in the War of 1812. They contributed a great deal to both sides of the conflict. Generally those who served with the British were more fortunate due to Great Britain making good on its promise for post war resettlement.