Editor’s Note: In this documentary, we can see how much easier it was to discuss the Southern plantation system from the perspective of the 1950s before the political correctness took root.

Historicism is the idea of attributing meaningful significance to space and time, such as historical period, geographical place, and local culture.

“Today, if we visit a social gathering in the south, we’ll see some of these things. The gentle manners and courtesy. The separation of society into distinct groups. And the relationship of that society to the land, which supplies its wealth. These are some of the things the plantation system has contributed to southern life.”