Final answer:
Jacobs suggests that the same power oppressing African Americans also contributes to keeping poor whites disadvantaged, indicating how systemic oppression and a racial hierarchy harmed multiple marginalized groups in society.
Step-by-step explanation:
When Jacobs mentions that "the power which trampled on the colored people also kept the poor whites in poverty, ignorance, and moral degradation," she is referring to the oppressive societal structures that existed during the period of slavery and segregation in the United States. These structures were not only detrimental to the African American population but also to the poor white population.
The system of racial hierarchy and white supremacy that enslaved and disenfranchised Black people also created barriers for poor white people, limiting their economic and educational opportunities and trapping them in a cycle of poverty. The oppressive power maintained inequality for both groups, with the ultimate goal of preserving the status quo of those in power, which was made up of the rich, land-owning class. This framework of oppression, therefore, led to shared suffering among the marginalized groups, though manifested in different forms of social and economic disenfranchisement.