Final answer:
The primary reason for the poverty of lower-class individuals in the Antebellum era was their lack of land ownership, which was the main source of income and social status.
Step-by-step explanation:
The MAIN reason for the poverty of the lower class in the Antebellum era was that they did not own land. Land ownership was the primary basis for wealth and social status during this period, especially in the South. Without land, individuals could not grow cash crops like tobacco, cotton, and rice, which were the main sources of income. Furthermore, land ownership was often tied to the ability to enslave people, which was another significant source of labor and wealth. As such, those who were landless generally had little opportunity for upward social and economic mobility, relegating them to the status of poor farmers, sharecroppers, or workers for others, with limited prospects for improving their situation.