antebellum plantations

Antebellum plantations were large farms in the southern United States before the Civil War, primarily focused on growing crops like cotton, tobacco, or sugar. These plantations relied heavily on enslaved African Americans for labor, who worked under harsh conditions to maximize profits. They often featured sizable homes for the plantation owners, along with facilities like slave quarters, barns, and processing areas. Socially and economically central to the South, these plantations played a significant role in shaping the region’s history, economy, and social structure, and their legacy continues to affect American society today.