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That's not to say it was a nice place for free blacks to live mind you, and once opportunity opened up, many of them did move northward, which is why the black percentage declined.
It's not like slave masters grew a conscience and simply manumitted them. As soil quality deteriorated in the Chesapeake, slave masters no longer found it in their economic interest to own human chattel they had to pay taxes on. Many former slaves became indentured servants (often having their contracts sold to northerners) or sharecroppers, which really wasn't all that different from slavery.
Delaware's cash crop was tobacco and tobacco required slave labor. Tobacco simply doesn't pick itself. After the Civil War, the former slaves became sharecroppers.
Interesting reading: Slavery in the North. Much of the reduction and eventual elimination of slavery in the north was not really due to the northern business owners' innate "sense of human decency" found lacking in their counterparts in the south. Instead, it had more to do with an economic shift in the north away from agriculture (growing seasons are much shorter there, after all) towards fishing and manufacturing. As such, one can see the rates of reduction in slavery in the north closely correlated with the change in economic engines.
I knew Connecticut (my mostly home state) was going to be in the top 10. Tobacco is a niche agricultural product there, mostly shade tobacco for cigars. There was a significant movement of Anglo-Caribbean farmworkers to the Hartford area to work the Tobacco farms, which is in part why the Hartford area now has the only majority-black suburban town in New England (Bloomfield).
I knew Connecticut (my mostly home state) was going to be in the top 10. Tobacco is a niche agricultural product there, mostly shade tobacco for cigars. There was a significant movement of Anglo-Caribbean farmworkers to the Hartford area to work the Tobacco farms, which is in part why the Hartford area now has the only majority-black suburban town in New England (Bloomfield).
It was simply to see if I understand this logic:
Quote:
Originally Posted by BajanYankee
Delaware's cash crop was tobacco and tobacco required slave labor. Tobacco simply doesn't pick itself. After the Civil War, the former slaves became sharecroppers.
Delaware grew tobacco. Tobacco was picked by slaves. Therefore Delaware is southern. If Delaware is southern, then why not other tobacco growing (and slave-harvesting) states such as CT?
Delaware grew tobacco. Tobacco was picked by slaves. Therefore Delaware is southern. If Delaware is southern, then why not other tobacco growing (and slave-harvesting) states such as CT?
Delaware was never southern. The other northern states grew tobacco and had slaves too, but none of them were called southern for this reason. Rural Delaware feels like the rural parts of NJ, PA and MD. Today, you can even hear Philadelphia and New Jersey radio stations in Delaware. Delaware is essentially a smaller New Jersey. If Delaware were to become part of another state, the best state that Delaware would fit is New Jersey due to Delaware's connections to Philadelphia and New Jersey. The state route signs in Delaware look exactly like the state route signs in New Jersey, so Delaware could be easily mistaken for the western extension of New Jersey.
Last edited by muppethammer26; 08-05-2014 at 03:43 PM..
If Delaware were to become part of another state, the best state that Delaware would fit is New Jersey due to Delaware's connections to Philadelphia and New Jersey.
Post this in the Delaware forum and see what sort of feedback you get.
Delaware grew tobacco. Tobacco was picked by slaves. Therefore Delaware is southern. If Delaware is southern, then why not other tobacco growing (and slave-harvesting) states such as CT?
Do we always have to be so silly on this North/South topic? How many slaves were working in Connecticut tobacco fields in 1860?
Delaware grew tobacco. Tobacco was picked by slaves. Therefore Delaware is southern. If Delaware is southern, then why not other tobacco growing (and slave-harvesting) states such as CT?
Because Delaware is a Southern State while Connecticut is a Northern State.....
All opinions which can not ever be proven as facts.
Quote:
Originally Posted by muppethammer26
Delaware was never southern. The other northern states grew tobacco and had slaves too, but none of them were called southern for this reason. Rural Delaware feels like the rural parts of NJ, PA and MD.
Again its opinions because if you travel down Delaware US Highway 13 or 113 it looks like any US highway route in Virginia even the traffic lights in Delaware are identical to the traffic lights in Virginia plus the highway message signs and state highway route shields in Delaware are identical to Virginia.
Quote:
Originally Posted by muppethammer26
Today, you can even hear Philadelphia and New Jersey radio stations in Delaware. Delaware is essentially a smaller New Jersey. If Delaware were to become part of another state, the best state that Delaware would fit is New Jersey due to Delaware's connections to Philadelphia and New Jersey. The state route signs in Delaware look exactly like the state route signs in New Jersey, so Delaware could be easily mistaken for the western extension of New Jersey.
Last edited by $mk8795; 08-05-2014 at 06:28 PM..
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