Indeed.
I find that most people think the 1800’s south was entirely comprised of wealthy white plantation owners and black slaves. Of course, we know this is not true. There were some wealthy blacks, and many more poor whites.
I do a lot of historical research in census records from that time and it is obvious from those documents that few whites owned any slaves. My own ancestors were share croppers on the same plantations as slaves, and worked right along side them. The slaves were well cared for by their owners, while the share croppers had to take care of them selves.
The plantations were all of the entire economy of the south. If you were not a member of a land-owning (wealthy) family in the agrarian south, then whether you were white or black, you earned your living from them.
A virtual monarchy. What frightens me is the way that Obama intends to make law without legislative warrant, by officials not approved by the Senate. The Republicans needs to lie down in front of everything he does, and find ways to starve his agents, or keep them occupied by challenging every regulation. The secHHS should be kept in a committee room for the next two years.