Question 1

From an ethical standpoint,the plantation owners of the South typically saw the system of slavery as

Accepted Answer

A)  basically superior to the wage-labor system of the North. 
B)  basically inferior to the wage-labor system and only likely to exist temporarily. 
C)  basically equal to the wage-labor system but more profitable. 
D)  not needing a moral justification because slavery had been accepted without ?question throughout most of human history. 
A)  basically superior to the wage-labor system of the North. 
B)  basically inferior to the wage-labor system and only likely to exist temporarily. 
C)  basically equal to the wage-labor system but more profitable. 
D)  not needing a moral justification because slavery had been accepted without ?question throughout most of human history. A

Question 2

Compare and contrast the different theories explaining why slavery persisted until the Civil War.

Accepted Answer

There are several theories that attempt to explain why slavery persisted until the Civil War. One theory is the economic argument, which suggests that the Southern economy was heavily dependent on slave labor for the production of crops such as cotton, tobacco, and sugar. Slavery was seen as essential for maintaining the profitability of these industries, and many Southern plantation owners were resistant to giving up their slaves due to the potential economic consequences.

Another theory is the political argument, which posits that the institution of slavery was deeply entrenched in the political and social structures of the South. Many Southern politicians and leaders were staunch defenders of slavery, and they used their power to maintain and protect the institution. Additionally, the balance of power between free and slave states in the federal government was a major point of contention leading up to the Civil War.

There is also the cultural argument, which suggests that slavery persisted due to the deeply ingrained racial attitudes and beliefs of the time. Many white Southerners viewed African Americans as inferior and believed that slavery was a natural and necessary part of society. This mindset was perpetuated through cultural institutions such as religion, education, and the media.

Finally, the geographical argument focuses on the unique geographic and social conditions of the South, which contributed to the persistence of slavery. The vast expanses of land and relatively small population in the South made it easier for the institution of slavery to take root and thrive.

Overall, these theories provide different perspectives on the complex and multifaceted reasons why slavery persisted until the Civil War. It was a combination of economic, political, cultural, and geographical factors that ultimately led to the endurance of slavery in the South.

Question 3

Slaves had incentives to remain docile,not resist their work demands and continue to depend on slavery as an institution according to Elkins (1959).

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  True

Question 4

The South was characterized by all of the following except

Accepted Answer

A)  large plantations and slave labor. 
B)  a more unequal distribution of income and wealth than in the North. 
C)  a lack of public education systems. 
D)  a strong manufacturing sector. 
A)  large plantations and slave labor. 
B)  a more unequal distribution of income and wealth than in the North. 
C)  a lack of public education systems. 
D)  a strong manufacturing sector.

Question 5

What did Steckel (1986)find when he compared the slave population to today's white population?

Accepted Answer

A)  The mortality rates of the slaves were much higher than those of modern whites. 
B)  Prenatal and postnatal care was the same. 
C)  The number of pregnancies brought to term in each group was about the same. 
D)  All of the above. 
A)  The mortality rates of the slaves were much higher than those of modern whites. 
B)  Prenatal and postnatal care was the same. 
C)  The number of pregnancies brought to term in each group was about the same. 
D)  All of the above.

Question 6

Conrad and Meyer (1958)counter Fogel and Engerman's (1974)claim that slave breeding was a myth by arguing that any profit-maximizing slave owner would consider slave breeding as long as:

Accepted Answer

A)  The expected rate of return from slave sales fell below the costs of rearing the slave to the age of sale. 
B)  Slavery was an irrational institution. 
C)  The expected rate of return from slave sales exceeded the costs of rearing the slave to the age ?of sale. 
D)  Slavery was an immoral institution. 
A)  The expected rate of return from slave sales fell below the costs of rearing the slave to the age of sale. 
B)  Slavery was an irrational institution. 
C)  The expected rate of return from slave sales exceeded the costs of rearing the slave to the age ?of sale. 
D)  Slavery was an immoral institution.

Question 7

White indentured servitude disappeared in the decades following the American Revolution and the founding of the nation.However,black slavery continued and expanded.What accounts for the differing fates of these two systems of labor inherited from colonial America?

Accepted Answer

The differing fates of white indentured

Question 8

Most surveyed economists support Fogel and Engerman's (1974)position that plantation owners were largely rational and treated slaves in their best profit interest.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

The demand for slaves was increasing more rapidly in cities than on plantations.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

The careful historian,in studying an institution like slavery and in striving for objectivity,will give special attention to all of the following except

Accepted Answer

A)  Those processes which recur over time and which continually motivated the institution 
B)  A theory which provides understanding of the cause-and-effect relationships involved 
C)  The background conditions of the period 
D)  All of the above statements must be given special attention 
A)  Those processes which recur over time and which continually motivated the institution 
B)  A theory which provides understanding of the cause-and-effect relationships involved 
C)  The background conditions of the period 
D)  All of the above statements must be given special attention

Question 11

Suppose the Constitutional Convention of 1787 had abolished slavery.How would this have affected the economy of the American South?

Accepted Answer

The abolition of slavery at the Constitu

Question 12

Which of the following would empirically support the claim that slave owners were optimistic about the future of the slave system in the 1850s?

Accepted Answer

A)  Rising slave prices 
B)  An increasing demand for slaves 
C)  A positive net return to slave purchases 
D)  All of the above 
A)  Rising slave prices 
B)  An increasing demand for slaves 
C)  A positive net return to slave purchases 
D)  All of the above

Question 13

Can economic historians make definitive statements about the quality of slave life and effectively compare it to the quality of life outside the slave system? Why or why not? Use the work of economic historians to support your answers.

Accepted Answer

Yes, economic historians can make defini

Question 14

Which of the following is an economic argument used to explain why slavery persisted in the U.S.?

Accepted Answer

A)  Slavery crushed out individualism among slaves. 
B)  The social structure of slavery did not permit black leaders to lead revolts. 
C)  Slavery was an overall moral institution. 
D)  Slavery was a rational institution. 
A)  Slavery crushed out individualism among slaves. 
B)  The social structure of slavery did not permit black leaders to lead revolts. 
C)  Slavery was an overall moral institution. 
D)  Slavery was a rational institution.

Question 15

Fogel and Engerman (1974)argue that slavery was economically viable until 1860.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

Contrary to Fogel and Engerman's (1974)claim,most surveyed economists believed that slavery ?was on the verge of extinction on the eve of the Civil War.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

Fogel and Engerman (1974)are generally of the opinion that American slavery

Accepted Answer

A)  was antiquated, inefficient and was on the verge of existance. 
B)  was thriving and profitable in the decades prior to the Civil War. 
C)  provided conditions for a reasonably normal family life and standard of living for ?the slaves with very little breakup of slave families or exploitation of slaves. 
D)  was inferior to the wage-labor system in the South and would have likely been ?replaced with time. 
A)  was antiquated, inefficient and was on the verge of existance. 
B)  was thriving and profitable in the decades prior to the Civil War. 
C)  provided conditions for a reasonably normal family life and standard of living for ?the slaves with very little breakup of slave families or exploitation of slaves. 
D)  was inferior to the wage-labor system in the South and would have likely been ?replaced with time.

Question 18

Land inheritance in the Southern colonies differed from inheritance in the Middle and New England colonies in that

Accepted Answer

A)  primogeniture was more typical in the South. 
B)  economies of large scale production were more important outside the South, which discouraged the formation of large plantations. 
C)  ownership of land was permitted by slaves outside the South but not in the South. 
D)  none of the above; there were no major differences in inheritance between the Southern colonies and the Middle and New England colonies. 
A)  primogeniture was more typical in the South. 
B)  economies of large scale production were more important outside the South, which discouraged the formation of large plantations. 
C)  ownership of land was permitted by slaves outside the South but not in the South. 
D)  none of the above; there were no major differences in inheritance between the Southern colonies and the Middle and New England colonies.

Question 19

Which of the following was not claimed in the book Time on the Cross,by Fogel and ?Engerman (1974)?

Accepted Answer

A)  Slavery was growing stronger economically before the Civil War. 
B)  Slave agriculture in the South was more productive than was family farming in the North. 
C)  Slave breeding and sexual exploitation by slave owners were normal aspects of the slave system. 
D)  Slave field hands were harder working and more efficient than were white agricultural workers. 
A)  Slavery was growing stronger economically before the Civil War. 
B)  Slave agriculture in the South was more productive than was family farming in the North. 
C)  Slave breeding and sexual exploitation by slave owners were normal aspects of the slave system. 
D)  Slave field hands were harder working and more efficient than were white agricultural workers.

Question 20

On the eve of the Civil War,cotton was the major crop in the Old South.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 10: The Debate over Slavery

From an ethical standpoint,the plantation owners of the South typically saw the system of slavery as

Compare and contrast the different theories explaining why slavery persisted until the Civil War.

Slaves had incentives to remain docile,not resist their work demands and continue to depend on slavery as an institution according to Elkins (1959).

The South was characterized by all of the following except

What did Steckel (1986)find when he compared the slave population to today's white population?

Conrad and Meyer (1958)counter Fogel and Engerman's (1974)claim that slave breeding was a myth by arguing that any profit-maximizing slave owner would consider slave breeding as long as:

White indentured servitude disappeared in the decades following the American Revolution and the founding of the nation.However,black slavery continued and expanded.What accounts for the differing fates of these two systems of labor inherited from colonial America?

Most surveyed economists support Fogel and Engerman's (1974)position that plantation owners were largely rational and treated slaves in their best profit interest.

The demand for slaves was increasing more rapidly in cities than on plantations.

The careful historian,in studying an institution like slavery and in striving for objectivity,will give special attention to all of the following except

Suppose the Constitutional Convention of 1787 had abolished slavery.How would this have affected the economy of the American South?

Which of the following would empirically support the claim that slave owners were optimistic about the future of the slave system in the 1850s?

Can economic historians make definitive statements about the quality of slave life and effectively compare it to the quality of life outside the slave system? Why or why not? Use the work of economic historians to support your answers.

Which of the following is an economic argument used to explain why slavery persisted in the U.S.?

Fogel and Engerman (1974)argue that slavery was economically viable until 1860.

Contrary to Fogel and Engerman's (1974)claim,most surveyed economists believed that slavery ?was on the verge of extinction on the eve of the Civil War.

Fogel and Engerman (1974)are generally of the opinion that American slavery

Land inheritance in the Southern colonies differed from inheritance in the Middle and New England colonies in that

Which of the following was not claimed in the book Time on the Cross,by Fogel and ?Engerman (1974)?

On the eve of the Civil War,cotton was the major crop in the Old South.

Overseas Empire

Colonial Development

America on the Eve of Revolution

Gaining Independence

Westward Expansion

Population and Labor Force

Law and the Rise of Classical American Capitalism

Transportation, Internal Improvements, and Urbanization

Agricultural Expansion: The Conflict of Two Systems on the Land

The Early Industrial Sector

The Financial System and the International Economy

Economic Effects of the Civil War

Railroads and Economic Development

Post-Civil War Agriculture

Population Growth and the Atlantic Migration

Industrialization, Entrepreneurship, and Urban Growth

Big Business and Government Intervention

Financial Developments 1863–1914

The Giant Economy and Its International Relations

Labor and the Law

The Command Economy Emerges: World War I

Normalcy”: 1919–1929

The Great Depression

The New Deal

The “Prosperity” of Wartime

Before the New Frontier: The Postwar Economy

Population, Health, and Labor

Postwar Industry and Agriculture

To the New Millennium and Beyond

Does Our Past Have a Future?

Filters