Southern Society
Pre-Civil War
Political
- Confederate States of America
- government did not restrict citizens very much
- no public school system
- considered a separate country from the Union
Social
- most led a simple farming lifestyle
- literacy rate was lower than that in the North
- families were patriarchal
- blacks were regarded as subhuman
- wealthy families were plantation owners with dozens of slaves
- poor families owned small farms with no more than a couple of slaves
- most white citizens owned no slaves
- men defend honor through duels
- women served mainly to maintain the household and raise the children
- middle- and upper-class women were very similar to middle-class women in the North
- poorer women served more as companions for their husbands
- only right women have is to protection
- higher birth rates but also higher infant mortality rates (1/2 of children died before age 5)
- men often had sex with slaves, any children produced were also slaves
- majority of poor population lived in disease and filth
Economic
- driven by plantations and farms
- cash crops (sugar, **cotton**, tobacco, etc.) produced the most revenue
- factories and industries had very little effect on the South's economy
- only "honorable" jobs were as planters or soldiers, so very few went into commerce and trade
- presence of slaves allowed wealthy plantations to generate more profit
- many wealthy plantation owners were new to money and thus did not know how to manage it properly or efficiently