Final answer:
The yeoman farmers of the South were small landowners who valued their independence and typically owned few slaves. They farmed poorer lands, often in the Appalachian region, and were wary of government involvement, especially regarding changes to slavery. All the given options are correct.
Step-by-step explanation:
The yeoman farmers of the South were significant in the pre-Civil War era and can best be described as fiercely proud of their independence (B). They were small landowners situated below the wealthy planters and above the landless poor, who formed the majority of White people in the South. The yeoman farmers often dreamed of owning land and participating in the institution of slavery as it was seen as a pathway to upward social and economic mobility. In the South, the American dream was closely associated with producing cotton, enslaving people, and owning land.
These yeomen typically farmed on poorer quality lands, such as those in the Appalachian Mountains (D), and participated less in plantation agriculture. They valued their autonomy and were usually skeptical of government involvement in the economy, fearing that a strong national government might threaten their rights, including the institution of slavery. Unlike their counterparts in the Plains and the Mountain West, Southern yeoman farmers did not fully share the "every man for himself" attitude, but they certainly preferred minimal governmental interference in their affairs.
The social and economic hierarchy of the South placed the yeoman farmers in a precarious middle ground. They generally did not possess the wealth and power of the planter elite but owned more than the landless Whites. Many yeomen did own slaves, but typically in much smaller numbers compared to the wealthy planters, making them less dependent on the institution of slavery for their livelihoods (E).