Final answer:
The South's economy in the 1950s was shaped by its history of cotton production and reliance on the institution of slavery, which created wealth for plantation owners and deeply influenced the region's culture and social structure.
Step-by-step explanation:
The economy of the South in the 1950s was deeply rooted in its antebellum past, where cotton production and slavery were inextricably linked. Cotton was the foundation of the Southern economy, and the cultivation of this crop depended heavily on the institution of slavery. The wealth generated from cotton production was concentrated in the hands of a white elite, making slavery not only an economic factor but also a cultural and societal one. Plantation owners accrued substantial wealth, while enslaved individuals faced daily hardships. Slavery also influenced the South's social structure, as it upheld a racial ideology of white supremacy and bound white people together despite class differences.