Plain folk and gentry in a slave society

By J. William Harris

Subjects: Southern states, history, Social conditions, History, Attitudes, Public opinion, Economic conditions, Slavery, united states, Slavery, united states, history, Slavery, Georgia, social conditions, Social classes, Public opinion, united states, Social classes, united states, Georgia, economic conditions, Augusta (ga.), Slaveholders

Description: In 1861, only about one-quarter of white southern families owned slaves, yet the vast majority of nonslave-owning whites followed southern planters into a long and bloody war to defend slavery. In doing so, they raised the obvious question: Why? What was it about the nature of class and race relations in the Old South that led them to such sacrifice? - Introduction.