Final answer:
To achieve high social standing and success in the world of politics in mid-nineteenth-century southern society, men needed to belong to the wealthy planter elite and adhere to a strict code of honor. Their social standing and power were primarily based on owning plantations and enslaved people. Additionally, men were expected to occupy the public sphere of politics and uphold their family's honor.
Step-by-step explanation:
To achieve high social standing and success in the world of politics, mid-nineteenth-century southern men needed several qualifications and attributes. They needed to belong to the wealthy planters' elite class, which wielded economic and political power in the region. These wealthy planters formed an aristocratic gentry, and their status and power were primarily based on their ownership of enslaved people and vast plantations. Additionally, southern men needed to conform to the patriarchal society and adhere to a strict code of honor that dictated their behavior and interactions with others.
In order to attain high social standing and succeed in politics, mid-nineteenth-century southern men aspired to be part of the planter elite. This group of wealthy planters owned the majority of the land and enslaved people in the South, giving them economic and political influence. Their power and social standing were reinforced by their ownership of large plantations and the number of enslaved people they controlled. By amassing wealth through the exploitation of slavery, these southern men were able to establish themselves as the ruling class in the region.
The culture of the antebellum South valued a rigid gender division, with men occupying the public sphere of politics, business, and warfare, while women were relegated to the domestic sphere. The ideal southern man was expected to represent his household in the wider world and uphold the honor and reputation of his family. This often involved settling disputes through duels, which were considered a way to defend one's honor. The patriarchal society placed men in positions of authority and power, while women were expected to conform to prescribed gender roles, which limited their participation in public life.