Plain folk and gentry in a slave society

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.

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

Places: Augusta Region,  Georgia,  Augusta Region (Ga.)

Times: 19th century