Some dumb guy on the Internet is saying that it reminds him of a time when he was actually happy. Now, he's obviously racially dogwhistling, but it really occurred to me that I don't really know what life was like for a non-slave, non-rich person back then. Obviously, it was hell on earth for slaves, and probably pretty good for the super rich (just like every other time). Was it better or worse for a free, working class person than the northern states? Better or worse than the US right now?