1. Men and women in the antebellum southern countryside were similar on how they looked upon one another socioeconomically, for example planter men and women looked down on poor white men and women and thought of them as inferior. Planter men thought poor white men were dishonorable, and a class that could be exterminated. Planter women looked at poor white women as if they were prostitutes and would drag them through the mud if they had the chance. However, men and women in the antebellum countryside had more differences than similarities. Forret puts this beautifully in the title of chapter five by calling it the double standard. This double standard is most evident when it come to interracial sex. Women, especially poor white women, in the antebellum countryside had the short end of the deal when it came to interracial sex. …show more content…
Rachel Holman is one example of a rape case stacked against women. Though she reported the rape right away and there was evidence of rape, when the trials came around the witnesses dragged her character through the ground, and she was arrested. Slave women, however, were worse off than poor white women, because they could not go to the courts if they were raped. Men, on the other hand, engaged in interracial sex often and if they kept it quite faced little to no consequences. Another difference between men and women were their roles in society. Simply men were expected to work and provide for the family, and women were expected to stay indoors and do domestic