Which of the following is the most accurate analysis of the relationship between planters and slavery? Planters managed enslaved people, but had a little direct involvement in the buying and selling of enslaved people, the majority of planters had few enslaved people and preferred to use paid later, when possible, planters supported slavery in South Carolina, but opposed its expansion. Elsewhere, wealth and power of planters was dependent on the labor of enslaved people.

Answer 1

The most accurate analysis of the relationship between planters and slavery among the options provided is: "Elsewhere, wealth and power of planters was dependent on the labor of enslaved people."

This statement reflects the historical reality that planters in the South, particularly in states like South Carolina and others in the Deep South, relied heavily on the labor of enslaved people to generate wealth, particularly in cash crop agriculture such as cotton, tobacco, and rice. The other options either downplay the planters' involvement in the slave trade or mischaracterize their reliance on enslaved labor. While some planters might have preferred hiring paid labor when possible or had varying levels of involvement in the slave trade, the overall system of plantation agriculture was fundamentally dependent on the exploitation of enslaved labor for economic success.