During the Revolutionary War, tensions between backcountry farmers and wealthy planters

A) enabled the British to reverse their previously unsuccessful performance during the war.
B) prompted several mutinies within colonial ranks.
C) gave the British hope that they might be able to enlist the support of southern Loyalists.
D) led Benedict Arnold to defect to the British.
E) caused Francis Marion's eventual defeat at the Battle of Cowpens.

Wealthy Planters

Individuals or families who own large agricultural estates, often worked by slaves or laborers, and hold significant social, economic, and political power.

Backcountry Farmers

Farmers in the 18th and 19th centuries located in remote rural areas of the American colonies and the United States, often living on the frontier and practicing subsistence farming.

Benedict Arnold

An American military officer who served during the Revolutionary War before defecting to the British side, becoming synonymous with the term traitor.