Due to the geography, it was easy to farm. These farms grew larger and more successful, due to slaves. Thus, Southerners started to make plantations. And, using slaves, the owners did not have to work very hard to keep up the work on the cash crops. The plantation business also made several white men very successful and rich.
The wealth experienced by the upperclass, which included plantation owners, created an attitude within the Southern community that promoted a sense of entitlement while also led to a cultural naivity. They had a strict code of behavior that dictated everything from interactions to social structure to dress code. Because they were insulated in the Southern culture, they had very unclear perspectives of Northern culture.
This also started a sort of "homegrown" type of living. Due to the fact that they grew and made most everything they needed at home and in their plantations, they had little to no need for marketplaces. Some said that this pulled families together, helped the family view (and used this as an argument against abolition).
Also, as a region, the Southerners became very attached to slaves, and not exactly in an affectionate way. They relied on slaves to continue the plantation economy, and basically, every wealthy Southern family had a plantation and a collection of slaves working both in the field and in the house. In many cases, the slaves were treated extremely badly, as they were seen as nothing more than property, and were used almost all day, every day. The Southerners had created an environment in which they needed the slaves to support their wealth and success.
The South was a big advocate of slavery, both in the states already established and the territories trying to become states. It fought against abolition fiercely, with different tactics, like Bible quotes and propaganda.
The wealth experienced by the upperclass, which included plantation owners, created an attitude within the Southern community that promoted a sense of entitlement while also led to a cultural naivity. They had a strict code of behavior that dictated everything from interactions to social structure to dress code. Because they were insulated in the Southern culture, they had very unclear perspectives of Northern culture.
This also started a sort of "homegrown" type of living. Due to the fact that they grew and made most everything they needed at home and in their plantations, they had little to no need for marketplaces. Some said that this pulled families together, helped the family view (and used this as an argument against abolition).
Also, as a region, the Southerners became very attached to slaves, and not exactly in an affectionate way. They relied on slaves to continue the plantation economy, and basically, every wealthy Southern family had a plantation and a collection of slaves working both in the field and in the house. In many cases, the slaves were treated extremely badly, as they were seen as nothing more than property, and were used almost all day, every day. The Southerners had created an environment in which they needed the slaves to support their wealth and success.
The South was a big advocate of slavery, both in the states already established and the territories trying to become states. It fought against abolition fiercely, with different tactics, like Bible quotes and propaganda.