Final answer:
The labor system in the South relied less on wage labor and more on a slave-based economy compared to the free labor, wage-based system in the Northeast. The lesser reliance on wage labor meant there was a greater division between slave labor and free citizen opportunities in the South.
Step-by-step explanation:
The labor system in the South during a certain period was characterized by lesser reliance on wage labor compared to the Northeast. C) Lesser reliance on wage labor in the South.
In the nineteenth century, the North believed in a free labor system where employers paid wages which led to economic growth and social mobility. The system allowed northerners to work towards middle-class status. Conversely, the South relied heavily on a slave-based labor system. Proponents of Southern economy argued that slaves, who undertook menial tasks, provided white Southerners with the opportunity to advance in society. The Southern perspective perceived the Northern wage labor unfavorably, indicating that wage laborers were in a form of bondage and lacked opportunities for advancement.
Sectional differences in economic development also influenced the types of jobs that slaves performed. For instance, in the North, slaves often took part in more diverse and skilled labor across industries unlike the largely agricultural focus in the South.