I'm referring to the average Joe, not plantation owners. How often would an urban white even see a black? Would this change if I was in the north/south? It's my understanding that owning slaves was an upper class privilege, is this true? If so could you give a guesstimate of how rich you'd have to be to own slaves in today's $$?
I'm sorry if this has been asked before, I searched 'slavery' and looked through many pages before I gave up.
Not an extremley comprehensive answer, but classical novels help understand how people saw them. For example Hucklebery Finn talks very much about everyday stuff and slaves are part of the story. Uncle Toms Cabin is another classic in that area.
There was very much a patronising view by everybody. That blacks were dumb and needed to be civilised. This was widely seen even by northern Abolitionists. Here also it plays a role that people argued if they were dumb by nature, or because they were nurtured to it. Also that race seperation is a good cause (see Liberia) and that blacks and whites can't live together.