Chapter 14, Sections 3,4. Southern Society and the Slave System. Only 1/3 rd of white Southern families owned slaves. Poor Whites were looked down upon by wealthy White Southerners. Southern Literature Southern authors glorified the slave system. Free African-Americans in the rural areas often hired themselves out to work on plantations. Many white southerners believed that free African-Americans were incapable of taking care of themselves. Slaves believed that they were Gods chosen people, like the Hebrews. Spiritual Traditions Slaves were able to secretly keep some of their religious traditions from Africa. Emotional Christian songs that blended African and European traditions were called spirituals. Nat Turner Led a slave revolt that killed 60 whites from planter families. He was later hanged.