From the late 1700s, right up until the end of the Civil War, slavery was the most important and influential issue in the United States. For both slave owners and non slave owners alike in both the north and the south, slavery remained a vital piece of the economy with the production of cotton, and virtually dictated the aristocratic structure of southern society. The culture of the south, of the rich and the poor, was deeply affected by the 'curious institution' of slavery, and it changed the face of the south with the plantation economy and tough competition for menial jobs that made it…
