American Civil War (1861-1865)

American Civil War (1861-1865)

Background: Black slavery

                                            History of Black African Slavery and Colonization

                                             Revolt of Nat Turner

The states of the northeast United States quickly eliminate slavery in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. The slave trade was officially abandoned in 1808. During the importation of slaves, Africans are separated from the same ethnic group, they are given the Anglo-Saxon names, they are forcibly converted to Protestantism.


In 1860, nearly 3 million blacks live in the south, mostly reduced to the status of slaves. Baptist and Methodist churches gradually detach the control of whites and organized into caring communities. Freed slaves who earn a good living, while trying to buy the freedom of their family members. Slaves began working at the age of 12, performing days from 17 to 20 hours a day. Many die after 5 years of malnutrition and disease (including dysentery). Some run away successfully and earn the north, others are mutilated when they are caught. Finally, some rebel (Revolt of Nat Turner). Métis children are also born of consensual sex or not unions between masters and slaves. These children are sometimes educated mestizo (a "veneer") to the European and become themselves, sometimes slave owner in adulthood. Others are less fortunate slaves (harvesting child).


From 1808 (abolition of the slave trade), decreases the number of slaves and their price increases on the slave market.

Despite the invention of a machine to separate cotton seeds by Eli Whitney, it is the plantation slaves who are used to harvest the crop especially as demand is high, boosted by Europe West and Britain in particular.

Still, only a small minority of whites has slaves of 6 million whites in the southern states in 1850, 347,000 have esclaves6.

The ideas of the American Revolution, the uprisings of slaves and the Haitian Revolution have raised fears among some growers a general insurrection of the black population. In 1831, the slave Nat Turner leads a revolt in Southampton County, Virginia (51 whites were killed in one day). It was finally crushed and its leader is executed.

The Missouri Compromise (1820) establishes the rule of parity in the admission of new states in the Union: north of 36th parallel, these new states must prohibit slavery and there must be the same number of states qu'esclavagistes abolitionists. When the Missouri slave is created it creates a new state abolitionist north: Maine (detached from Massasuchsetts).