What was the largest group of whites in the south made up was?

The largest group of whites in the South historically consisted of poor, non-slaveholding farmers, often referred to as "yeoman farmers." They made up a significant portion of the white population in the antebellum South and were typically engaged in subsistence farming rather than large-scale plantation agriculture. These farmers played a crucial role in the social and economic fabric of the region, often seeking to align their interests with the elite planter class, even if they did not own slaves themselves.