2) the poor, the middle class, and the elite are three main categories of the rigid social classes of the southern united states in the antebellum period. what was the most likely difference between the elite and the poor? a) land ownership b) place of birth c) state of residence d) geographic location 3) french political thinker baron de montesquieu (1689–1755) was one of the enlightenment's most important thinkers. he is famous for saying that "when the [law making] and [law enforcement] powers are united in the same there can be no liberty." to which principle of government is montesquieu's statement most directly related?