Question

By the 1850s, the South was totally committed to a society based on cotton and slavery.
True or False

Answer 1

I imagine your teacher wants you to say true because of economic and financial reasons, but I also question the use of the word 'totally'.

In reality, many in the South opposed slavery, particularly non-slaveholders such as poor farmers. Seccession was not as popular as history books sometimes make out (many of the state votes were rigged and anti-slavery voters were harrassed, threatened and sometimes killed).

Obviously the rich 'slavocracy' were committed to such a society, and they wielded the political and social influence to see that nothing changed in that regard. They were actually a minority but were able to brinig about seccession anyway.