Reconstruction and the Rise of the New South

Civil War Profoundly and permanently altered social, cultural, political, economic landscape Raised important questions Labor relations? Civil rights? Power of federal government? Relationship between President and Congress 623,000 dead; 500,000 wounded; 30,000 amputees

Civil War and Race Relations Freed 4 million enslaved persons 180, ,000 African American men fought on the side of the Union African Americans became more mobile; demanded land, education, access to polls, and public accommodations Backed by Freedman’s Bureau and Republicans in Congress Thaddeus Stevens (House) Charles Sumner (Senate) One Senator joked that the only rights confederates should have were “funeral rites.”

African Americans and Reconstruction Despite their increased mobility, African Americans remained overwhelming a southern, rural population Most worked as sharecroppers or tenant farmers By million acres devoted to cotton production up from 9.35 million in 1873 Increased production meant steadily declining prices -- made life very difficult Race made things more difficult for black farmers Debt peonage

African Americans and Reconstruction When Reconstruction ended in 1877 so to did the civil rights protected by the 14th and 15th amendments In 1883 the Supreme Court struck down the civil rights act of 1875 and said that private citizens did not have to recognize the civil rights granted by the 14th amendment By 1887 southern railroads became the first segregated public accommodation By the end of the 1870s all southern states except MS, SC, LA, FL reverted to Democratic rule

Rise of the New South South depended on cotton, but prices were falling at home and abroad Southern (white) boosters dreamed of a New South Modeled after an idealized notion of the northern industrial revolution (explain) Especially sought to lure the textile industry from NE to the south Reality was a mix between extraction of raw materials and growing urban industrial centers

Rise of the New South Growing industry in the north increased demand for timber, coal, and turpentine, which southerners provided There was also a growing manufacturing base in the south that consisted primarily of textiles and iron By 1900, south employed 1/3 of all textile workers and places like Birmingham, AL were turning out more iron than all of the southern states combined But most southerners continued to work in “extractive industries”

New South Cities Although much of the south remained rural and “extractive,” cities were vital to the formation of the New South both practically and symbolically or ideologically (explain) Atlanta, Nashville, Charleston, Mobile, and Birmingham manufacturing firms rose from 21k in 1860 to 70k by mostly in textiles, tobacco, iron, and steal Urban population also grew from about 9% in 1880 to 20% by 1910 By 1910 there were 396 towns and cities in the 11 southerner states -- about 20% of national total

New South Cities Unlike northern cities, urban growth in the south was fueled almost entirely by internal regional migration Foreign born comprised only 4.7% of the south’s urban population in 1910 Part of the population growth was fueled by black migration About 8% of black population lived in cities in 1880; rose to about 19% in 1910 Overall about 35% of urban population was black This meant that about 65% of city dwellers were white in 1910

A New South City Atlanta Population 37k in k by 1920 Residents of its overcrowded neighborhoods adopted the “Atlanta Spirit” -- a commitment to continued growth and a faith that they would overcome the challenges and hardships presented by that growth

Atlanta

Race Relations Despite their progressive rhetoric, southern whites were unable to answer what they called “the Negro question.” What evolved in most southern cities was a new form of paternalism (define) White supremacy was maintained by new measures of segregation and discrimination often enforced by violence (Jim Crow) At the same time, blacks were accorded limited public support to improve their health, education, and welfare

New Paternalism Most whites adopted a policy of providing blacks with (substandard) education, health care, and industrial training, and then “allowing” them to succeed or fail “on their own.” Can you see any problems with this philosophy?

Group Work / Discussion Analyze: LA and MS Black Codes Sharecroppers contracts “A Georgia Sharecropper’s Story…” Questions: What was life like for blacks in the south, ? Why? Provide examples from reading/lecture Why is this important? How would YOU teach this stuff?