Final answer:
The southern social hierarchy during the antebellum era demonstrated that the society was based on and dependent on slavery. Slavery shaped the social life of all White southerners, even though only a small White elite owned the majority of enslaved people.
Step-by-step explanation:
The southern social hierarchy during the antebellum era demonstrated that the society was based on and dependent on slavery. Slavery shaped the social life of all White southerners, even though only a small White elite owned the majority of enslaved people. The social order was built on the subjugation of a class of unfree laborers, with a notion of white supremacy and black inferiority being integral to the system.