Engage

Overview

In this experience, students explore how industrialization shaped social life and class in the early 19th Century South. First, they analyze two images to identify how different groups experienced community and labor, comparing the lives of enslaved people and wealthy Southerners. Next, students read about Southern society to understand how land, status, and traditions defined class and gender roles. Then, students examine the lives of poor whites, yeoman farmers, and enslaved people to determine how industrialization deepened divisions between social groups and limited opportunity. Finally, the Elaborate scene invites students to analyze excerpts from letters by Hannah Valentine and Virginia Campbell Shelton to learn how personal relationships reflected both the inequality and interdependence that characterized Southern society.

Estimated Duration: 45–60 minutes

Vocabulary Words and Definitions

estate: a large area of land with a big house, often owned by a wealthy family
inheritance: money, land, or property passed from one person to another after death
overseer: person hired to manage and direct the work of enslaved laborers on a plantation
planter class: a group of wealthy landowners in the South who owned large plantations and forced enslaved people to labor on them
revival: a religious gathering meant to inspire renewed faith and commitment
yeoman: a small farmer who worked his own land and usually did not own enslaved people

Objectives:

Identify key characteristics of Southern society, including the roles of enslaved people, poor whites, and the planter class.
Describe how class, race, and gender shaped roles and opportunities in the South during early industrialization.

Southern society in the mid-19th century reflected a region shaped by strong traditions and social divisions. The way people lived, worked, and interacted often depended on their place within that society. Look closely at the images in comparison with each other. Notice what they might reveal about daily life and relationships in the South at this time. Then share your ideas on the discussion wall.

This is an illustration of a formal indoor gathering or wedding ceremony from the 19th century, featuring a large group of people dressed in contemporary upper-class fashion. The central figures appear to be a bride and groom surrounded by guests in an elegantly decorated room with portraits and a chandelier.

The Wedding by J. B. Forest (ca. 1860)

This black-and-white illustration depicts a scene of enslaved African Americans gathering at night, possibly after working in the fields, with some figures seated and others standing in a group illuminated by lanterns. The central figure standing on a raised area appears to be speaking to the group, suggesting a religious meeting, an informal gathering, or a shared moment of rest after forced labor.

A plantation "corn-shucking"-social meetings of slaves by Mary A. Livermore (1899)

What do these two images reveal about life and society in the South during early Industrialization?

Post your answer

When reviewing student responses, highlight examples that use similarities and differences to explain what the images reveal about Southern society. If students focus only on the differences, ask: What do you notice about how people are gathered or interacting in each image? This will help them see that both scenes show people socializing in different ways. Then guide the discussion further by asking: How do these differences in social gatherings reflect the unequal experiences of people living in the South at this time?

In this experience, you will learn how life in the South reflected both change and continuity as the rest of the nation industrialized, exploring how class, race, and gender shaped people’s roles, opportunities, and traditions in the South during the early period of industrialization.

Objectives:

Identify key characteristics of Southern society, including the roles of enslaved people, poor whites, and the planter class.
Describe how class, race, and gender shaped roles and opportunities in the South during early industrialization.

When everyone is ready to continue, unlock the next scene.

Southern Society