What was the significance of the planter class in antebellum Southern society?
A) They constituted a majority of the population.
B) They were often Europeans who operated their plantations from abroad.
C) They invested their profits in industrial endeavors and began to transform the southern economy.
D) They were the only social group in the South to openly discuss abolition as a potential good.
E) Their values and goals dominated Southern life.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The planter class, though a small percentage of the population, held significant economic, political, and social power in antebellum Southern society. Their wealth from agriculture, especially cotton, and their adherence to a specific set of values and goals, such as the maintenance and expansion of slavery, deeply influenced the culture and politics of the South.

What Was the Significance of the Planter Class in Antebellum