With regard to sexual relations between white men and slave women in the antebellum South, white southern women
A) increasingly spoke out against such liaisons in the 1830s and 1840s.
B) were supposed to pretend that they did not notice.
C) actively sought passage of laws against interracial sexual relations.
D) usually placed the blame for such relationships on slave women.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

White southern women were expected to pretend that they did not notice sexual relations between white men and slave women. Openly acknowledging such relations would challenge the institution of slavery and white male dominance. It was generally understood that white men had sexual access to slave women, and slave women had no power to refuse or consent. White women who acknowledged or spoke out against such relationships risked being seen as threatening the social order and were often silenced.

With Regard to Sexual Relations Between White Men and Slave