Social Classes In The South During The Antebellum Time Period

There were four main social classes existing in the south during the Antebellum time period. At the very top were large plantation owners who usually owned over fifty slaves. Right below them were small slave owners who had around twenty slaves. Next were Yeomen farmers and freed slaves. The Yeomen farmers were the largest social class out of these four. In the antebellum south, social divisions were wide and equality was not in the hands of many. The South during these times is often viewed as a place filled with large estates where many slaves worked the land as the owners relaxed; however, this is not true. Large plantation owners made up only a small percent of the South's population. The owners of these plantations did not usually

They were treated the worst out of any of the other groups, mainly because of their skin color. Whether they were slaves or free men, they were all oppressed. Free blacks were able to do more than slaves, but they always ran the risk of being captured and brought back into slavery. Even if they had their papers showing proof of their freedom, free African Americans could still be captured and sold into slavery illegally. Escaped slaves ran an even higher risk of being captured because of their lack of the documents. In an account of how Frederick Douglass escapes it is stated, "The laws of Maryland required every free Negro to carry papers describing him accurately and to pay liberally for this protection. Slaves often escaped by borrowing papers from a friend, to whom the precious documents would be returned by mail" (Douglass). Because every freed slave had to have these papers to prove their freedom, many did what Frederick did to escape slavery. The life of a slave was one no freed black would regret leaving. Masters, particularly the ones with harsh tempers, often whipped their slaves . They generally did this because it increased productivity on the plantations; slaves were less likely to slow their work if they were threatened to be whipped. The living conditions on a plantation were also little to be desired. Little food, poor housing, and ragged clothes were

There were large gaps in between each one, causing oppression for the lower classes. Slavery was a large part of the South's way of life and only emphasized how important social status was within the community. It was a place where the few large plantation owners influenced may and the people below them strived to climb from their lower social