Southern society was wealthy elites, former slaves, poor whites. The wealthy pitted poor whites and blacks against each other telling poor illiterate whites they were superior in order to maintain power as the poor vastly outnumbered the wealthy. It has been that way ever since
The essential project of wealthy Southern elites to maintain power in post-1875 New South was "keeping the [n-words] down." So few did this to so many only with the help of the vast numbers of poor whites. They too were "kept down" but told blacks were their inferiors, taught to fear and hate them
In 1865 the South had one-third of US population and two-thirds the illiteracy.The first tax supported public schools open to all were chartered by newly enfranchised former slaves voting after 1868. Wealthy white elites had private tutors in-home, resented public schools. Still do to this day