The New South: The South During the Gilded Age 6.1 Mrs. Stoffl

Objectives 1.Explain how the Southern Economy changed in the late 1800s 2.Analyze how Southern farmers consolidated their political power. 3.Describe the experience of African Americans in the changing South. 4.Analyze primary source documents for an authentic understanding.

Industries and Cities Grow New Industries Spread Through the South Northern $ was used to support Southern industry after the war Cotton, wood, iron ore, steel, coal Nashville, TN and Birmingham, AL Farming diversified: Grain, tobacco, fruits Small farms replaced large plantations

Railroads Link Cities and Towns Farms connected w/big cities like Charleston, SC, New Orleans, LA and Mobile, AL Only two linked North and South (Economic Isolation a big problem). Petitioned to gov’t for prison labor to work on the rr to help keep costs down Gradually became more connected

Look Familiar?

The Biltmore:Legacy of C. Vanderbilt Architects: Frederick Law Olmstead & Richard Morris Hunt 178,926 sq.ft. (Largest privately owned home in U.S.) → still owned by the family George Washington Vanderbilt original builder

Southern Economic Recovery is Limited Southern economy significantly behind the rest of the country → post war repairs Industrial Growth: need natural resources, labor, and capital investment ( ⅓ not enough) Key to well trained workers: Education Sub-par education in the South = lack of skilled workers Northern workers turned off by low wages Few southern banks survived the war ∴ few assets Southern industry dependent upon Northern financing

What did the South look like after the war?

Southern Farmers Face Hard Times Cotton Dominates Agriculture - RISKY! A cash crop for the South (in addition to tobacco) Struggled to diversify their crops During the war, European textile factories got cotton elsewhere → market expanded ∴ price dropped After the war the South’s oversupply → prices even lower Boll Weevil → destroyed any chances they had

Farmers Band Together Farmers Alliance: Groups of local farmers (Texas) with an agenda band together to form the Farmers Alliance Negotiate for lower shipping costs by appealing to the gov’t to force the RRs to reduce prices Connected farmers in the South & the West Also wanted gov’t to regulate the interest that banks could charge for loans

Black Southerners Gain & Lose Political and Economic Gains 13th, 14th, &15th Amendments Some black Southerners opened businesses or bought land (some able to join F.A. → stronger together) Access to education: Freedmen’s Bureau and volunteers assisted in providing schools Literacy (reading and writing) among the black population improved signficantly

White Backlash Begins Any gains were met with a furious backlash KKK used violence + terror against blacks Segregation increased Civil Rights Act of 1875 passed, 1883 Sup. Court ruled that civil rights was a local issue Jim Crow Laws b/w 1890 and /11 former Confed. states initiated measures to disenfranchise black voters poll taxes, literacy tests

Terror Number of Lynchings:

Primary Source Analysis Response as a reader: How did you respond/react to the primary source? Historical context: Explain how the primary source presents you with an image of the past that is either strange or familiar. Historical significance: Describe how helpful the primary source is for developing an understanding of African-American identity during the Gilded Age.