Final answer:
Most whites in the antebellum South regarded slaveholding as a symbol of economic success and aspired to the social status of the slaveholding elite, though most did not own a significant number of slaves. The correct answer is option C).
Step-by-step explanation:
The question concerns the attitudes most whites held towards slavery in the antebellum South. Although wealth distribution was highly uneven, and the majority did not own slaves, many non-slaveholding whites aspired to the wealth and status of the slaveholding elite, who represented the pinnacle of economic and political power in the South. In this context, most whites in the antebellum South likely regarded slaveholding as a path to upward economic mobility. The idea of owning slaves was often seen as a symbol of economic success and social status, despite the reality that only a small percentage of white households actually owned a significant number of slaves.
Additionally, the social structure was heavily influenced by notions of white supremacy and male dominance. While social mobility for whites could involve becoming slaveholders, most white families did not enslave people, and those who did typically owned fewer than five slaves. The respective statement that most whites in the antebellum South regarded slaveholding as a path to upward economic mobility closely reflects the condition of social aspirations tied to the institution of slavery and the culture of the South.