How democratic was the pre-war South?

http://www.jiskha.com/display.cgi?id=1257450665

farmers grew enough food to have a blank.

First, Kiara, if you have a question, it is much better to put it in as a separate post in <Post a New Question> rather than attaching it to a previous question, where it is more likely to be overlooked.

If it is more than they need, the farmers would have a surplus.

To assess the level of democracy in the pre-war South, one can examine several factors such as voting rights, political representation, and civil liberties. Let's break down these components and analyze them:

1. Voting Rights:
a. Suffrage for White Men: In the antebellum South, white male suffrage was widespread. Most white adult men who met property qualifications had the right to vote. However, the property requirements excluded a significant portion of the population, including poorer whites.
b. Suffrage for African Americans and Women: African Americans and women were largely excluded from the democratic process. Slavery was a fundamental aspect of the Southern economy and society, denying enslaved African Americans basic civil rights, including voting. Similarly, women, both white and black, generally did not have the right to vote.

2. Political Representation:
a. State Legislature: Southern state legislatures were primarily dominated by a small group of wealthy plantation owners (planter elite). These elites held significant political power, shaping legislation and policies to protect their economic and social interests.
b. Federal Government: In Congress, the South had substantial representation due to its population size and the Three-Fifths Compromise, which counted enslaved people as three-fifths of a person for determining representation. This gave slaveholding states an advantage in the House of Representatives and the Electoral College.

3. Civil Liberties:
a. Freedom of Speech and Press: The South had limited freedom of speech and press. Criticizing slavery or advocating for abolition was often met with severe legal consequences, including imprisonment or violent reprisals.
b. Protections for Minority Rights: African Americans, both enslaved and free, faced pervasive racial discrimination and were denied basic civil liberties. Slave codes and subsequent Black Codes (after the Civil War) restricted their freedoms, such as movement, education, assembly, and employment.

Considering these aspects, it becomes apparent that while the pre-war South exhibited democratic characteristics for white male voters, it was severely undemocratic for a significant portion of its population, particularly African Americans and women who were excluded from meaningful political participation and faced systemic oppression.