The planters not only tended to be the most wealthy, but were the most conservative, and tied more closely to the empire, including the most private debt to the British, from which independence ultimately freed them. (That would be a more immediate and conscious incentive for the planters to favor the Revolution. Nevertheless, the British strategists and the hardcore colonial separatists saw the plantation owners as being the most pro-British, having the most to lose.
As to the character of the class that ruled the Southern states . . . . If you went through a county seat anywhere in the settled parts of the U.S., you'd see a courthouse and some kind of public space surrounded by law offices. You'd have hotels for people in town for legal business or shopping. The place might have eateries or saloons, but the hotel could usually provide these as well. Unless the county had just gone through one of its financial panics, you'd have a bank of some sorts, as well as stores, with the postmaster usually working out of one of them. A blacksmith shop and livery would be essential, but so were some small scale artisan workshops produced and/or repaired items like shoes. Many had printing offices that issued newspapers. You'd have churches, of course, with the brands and mix of denominations varying with the area--but all not that different either, mostly variations of Protestant Christianity. Oh, you'd likely also have a local masonic lodge. If it's been around for a while, the town may have grown its bad side with cheaper alcohol, brothers, gambling, etc. Most days, you could identify social class by what they were wearing, though not so much as would be the case in a large city, but class distinctions became more overt around election time. Even any plebs involved in it dressed up. State governments in capital cities knit these together into a coherent governing force. If it were a national election, the parties that contended would almost always be the same in any corner of the country. These were centers of power, even where allowing peculiar local circumstances in which the rural areas politically rebelled against their dominance. Rarely did these communities (at least outside of New England) not include individuals from other parts of the country. So what was the class nature of that rule? In communities like this north or south of the Mason-Dixon line or the Ohio river, the businessmen, lawyers, shopkeepers, etc. often owned I agree with E.P. Thompson that the working class was present at its own making. They tried the same thing in 1861.) In the -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#8546): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/8546 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/82563203/21656 -=-=- POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. #4 Do not exceed five posts a day. -=-=- Group Owner: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/marxmail/leave/8674936/21656/1316126222/xyzzy [[email protected]] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
