The Downfall of Southern Plantation Power Introduction

The power of Southern plantations starts as an immense social and economic strength pre-war. However, Once the war starts the slow downfall of the southern plantations begins and in some cases it is imediate. It's shown in the first few pages of this novel and how quickly things in the south have turned. The quick sale of the estate shows how fast the fall of power could have been. However, some effects were longer term. The gradual dive into 'insanity' that the Southern plantation owners experience shows the decay of the Southern plantation power in a social environment. Not only do the writings of civil war plantation owners show this but the idea of the lost cause does as well. This will be shown in the following documents.

Authored by Hunter Adams as part of the Missouri Scholars Program 2023