[stand watie]

the slaveOWNERS saw them as MUCH more powerful than they were. being rich doesn't mean you are smart.(HANOI-John being a case in point)

for the 90+% of NON-slaveowners, they generally neither knew nor cared what the societies said/thought/did.

as i've said numerous times, the slaveOWNERS were a SMALL, rich minority in the south AND they frequently collaborated with the enemy, thus i'm no fan of the plantation aristocracy.

free dixie,sw

[stand watie]

btw,it's worth remembering that the FIRST victim AND the FIRST southern martyr was Officer Heywood Shepard, a VA Conservator of the Peace (YES, that's likely where the term "cop" came from), who was murdered in coldblood by John Brown's pack of theives/terrorists,while in the line of duty.

Mr Shepard was a "free person of colour", who was serving as a sworn VA State Police Officer, at the time of his untimely death.

free dixie,sw.

[capitan_refugio]

"as i've said numerous times, the slaveOWNERS were a SMALL, rich minority in the south AND they frequently collaborated with the enemy, thus i'm no fan of the plantation aristocracy."

The slave owning families in the south were the ruling oligarchy. They tightly held the real power and were influential far beyond their numbers (which were about 30% of the population).