Question

The following were all ways white owners sought to protect their social and economic power in the south, except:

1) Enforcing strict segregation laws
2) Implementing sharecropping system
3) Supporting the abolition of slavery
4) Using violence and intimidation

Answer 1

White owners in the South used strict segregation laws, the sharecropping system, and violence and intimidation to protect their social and economic power, but did not support the abolition of slavery.

Step-by-step explanation:

The ways in which white owners sought to protect their social and economic power in the South included enforcing strict segregation laws, implementing the sharecropping system, and using violence and intimidation. However, supporting the abolition of slavery was not one of the ways they sought to protect their power. The white owners relied on these methods to maintain control over black people, prevent social and economic equality, and maintain cheap labor for the agricultural economy. In contrast, supporting the abolition of slavery was not a strategy used to maintain social and economic control, as the institution of slavery was the basis of southern wealth and power prior to the Civil War. Instead, wealthy southern elites created arguments and policies to defend and perpetuate slavery, seeing the institution as a bedrock of their privileged lifestyle and economic power.