In-Depth Notes on the Social Structure of Antebellum South

Total white population: Approximately 25% of the Southern population.
Planters: 3% of the population with around 20 or more enslaved people; they are businessmen investing profits back into land and slavery rather than luxuries.

Yeoman Farmers: Land owners who may fluctuate in status; can depend on specific regions within the South for economic success.
Poor Whites (Landless Whites): Living in dire conditions, often illiterate, renting or squatting on land. Their material conditions are almost comparable to those of enslaved people.
- Social Status: Although they match the material conditions of enslaved individuals, they maintain a sense of superiority simply due to race.

Lifestyle: Contrary to depictions in literature (like Gone with the Wind), planters live as hard-headed businessmen rather than lavishly. They tend to be geographically mobile, moving westward into states like Arkansas and Texas rather than establishing permanent mansions.
Plantations: Examples such as Eatonton Plantation in Georgia and Stag Hill in North Carolina illustrate typical plantation homes - wood frame houses rather than grand mansions.

Economic Dominance: Planters control the economy; they are often the only sources of loans or purchases for small farmers, reinforcing their dominance.
Political Power: All levels of elected political positions are filled by slaveholders; non-slaveholders are viewed as untrustworthy.
Aspiration of Yeoman Farmers: The goal for many is to rise in social and economic status by owning land and enslaved people.

Housing: Enslaved people lived in small cabins, often overcrowded, showing the stark contrast to the planter's lifestyle.
Family and Community: Importance of extended family networks due to the threat posed by slave sales and separation policies enforced by slaveholders.
- Marriage Practices: Informal ceremonies like "jumping the broom" were common as there was no legal recognition of black marriages.

Christianity: While slaveholders introduced Christianity, they often presented a manipulated version emphasizing obedience. In contrast, enslaved individuals found empowerment in faith, focusing on themes of liberation such as in Exodus.
Worship Style: Characterized by ecstatic expressions and emotional participation reflecting cultural heritage.

Cultural Resistance through Music: Spirituals served as a means of covert communication and expression of faith, often containing messages of hope and liberation that were lost on white listeners.
- Examples include adapted codes referring to escape routes and the Underground Railroad.

Individual Acts: Running away, stealing, work slowdowns, vandalism, and feigning illness as primary methods of resistance by enslaved individuals.
Organized Revolts: Rarely successful due to the overwhelming military and social power of white society.
- Key revolts include:
- Gabriel Prosser’s Revolt (1800): Attempt failed due to informant.
- German Coast Revolt (1811): Group of 500 enslaved people attacking properties but suppressed by the military.
- Denmark Vesey’s Plot (1822): A questionable plot that may have been concocted for political gain.
- Nat Turner’s Rebellion (1831): Most infamous revolt leading to approximately 60 white deaths and widespread retribution against black communities.

The South had a tiered social structure:
- Top: Planters (3% of population)
- Middle: Yeoman Farmers (bulk of society)
- Bottom: Poor Whites (exemplifying the stark economic inequality).

In understanding Southern society, it’s essential to recognize the inequitable distribution of wealth and power, as well as the resilience and adaptability of enslaved communities within these oppressive systems.