In-Depth Notes on the Social Structure of Antebellum South

Population of the 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.

Social Classes

• 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.

The Planter Class

• 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 and Political Control

• 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.

Cultural Aspects of Enslaved Life

• 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.

Faith and Religion

• 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.

Music and Spirituals

• 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.

Forms of Resistance

• 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.

Overall Structure of Southern Society

• 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).

Conclusion

• 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.