Question

The majority of southern whites owned no slaves because _____

a. they opposed slavery.
b. they could not afford the purchase price.
c. their urban location did not require them.
d. their racism would not allow them to work alongside african americans.

Answer 1

The majority of southern whites didn't own slaves mainly due to the high cost, while also adhering to a racial ideology that aligned them with elite slaveholders and diminished class tensions. The correct answer is option b.

Step-by-step explanation:

The majority of southern whites owned no slaves primarily because they could not afford the purchase price. While a small class of elite slaveholders existed, most white southerners shared a common culture and set of values centered on white supremacy. Slavery in the South was an economic system that benefited the few; however, it also served to decrease class tensions among white people by establishing a unified racial ideology. Slavery defused class tensions among the non-slaveholding whites by giving them a sense of superiority over enslaved African Americans, despite their own economic hardships.

Although many white southerners aspired to the wealth that came with enslaving large numbers of people, two-thirds of white households did not own any slaves by 1860. This unequal distribution of wealth was upheld by the belief in a racial hierarchy. In this societal landscape, even non-slaveholders accepted the rule of the plantation owners as it was perceived as a defense of a shared interest in maintaining a racial hierarchy.