Which social class came to control the economy as well as the political and social institutions of the South?

Which social class came to control the economy as well as the political and social institutions of the South?Which social class came to control the economy as well as the political and social institutions of the South?
Obviously the plantation owners. But if you really6y think about it it was the slaves who ''ran'; the economy. Without them the whole society would collapse. That is why the South fought so hard to keep slavery lawful. To keep the political and social institutions intact