Refers to the population of white individuals who resided in the southern region of the United States during this time period, primarily known for their involvement in plantation agriculture and supporting the institution of slavery.
Related terms
Plantation owners: Wealthy individuals who owned large agricultural estates, mainly cultivating cash crops such as tobacco or cotton.
Secession: The act of withdrawing from a larger political entity or organization, which became prominent among white Southerners during the Civil War.
Jim Crow Laws: A series of racially discriminatory laws that enforced racial segregation in public facilities throughout the South after Reconstruction.