1. The New South

2. The New South
While the West was being “won,” the South was recovering from the devastation of the Civil War
Many in the South began to argue for modern capitalist values, industrial growth, improved transportation
Local governments started offering tax exemptions to investors and promised employers low-wage labor
Growth of cities, textile industries, and improved railroads symbolized efforts to create a “New South” in the late 19th Century
South’s rate of postwar growth from 1865 to 1900 equaled or surpassed the rest of the country in population, industry, and railroads

3. Continued Poverty
Despite progress and growth, the South remained a largely agricultural section and still the poorest region in the country
To an even greater extent after the war, northern financing dominated the southern economy
Northern investors controlled ¾ of the railroads and controlled the South’s steel industry as well
Large share of these profits went to the northern banks and financiers
Southern industrial workers earned half the national average, worked longer hours than elsewhere
Most southerners (black and white) remained in traditional roles as sharecroppers and farmers

4. Continued Poverty
Two other factors chiefly responsible for southern poverty:
South’s late start to industrialization
Poorly educated workforce
Only a small number of southerners had the technological skills needed for industrial development
South had failed to invest in technical and engineering schools
Political leadership in the South provided little support for the education of poor whites or blacks
Without adequate education, the southern workforce faced limited economic opportunities

5. Agriculture
South’s postwar economy remained tied mainly to growing cotton
Number of acres planted in cotton nearly doubled
Surplus of cotton on world markets caused cotton prices to decline by 50% in the s
Per capita in the South dropped, many lost their farms and homes
1900- more than half of white farmers and ¾ of black farmers were sharecroppers

6. Agriculture
Some farmers sought to diversify their crops to escape the dependence on cotton
George Washington Carver promoted the growth of peanuts, sweet potatoes, soybeans
Important role in shifting southern agriculture toward a more diversified base

7. Agriculture
Most small farmers remained in the cycle of debt and poverty
1890- Farmers Southern Alliance claimed 1 million members
Colored Farmers’ National Alliance had about 250,000
Rallied behind political reforms to solve farmers’ economic problems
Economic interests of upper class and powerful racial attitudes of whites prevented any real progress

8. Segregation
End of Reconstruction- North withdrew its protection of freedmen, left southerners to work out solutions to their own economic and social problems
Southern Democrats back in power got their support from two groups:
Business community and white supremacists
Both groups favored policies of segregating public facilities to treat African Americans as inferior
Dems could exert political power by playing on the racial fears of whites

9. Discrimination & The Supreme Court
Late 1870s- Supreme Court begins striking down one Reconstruction act after another
Civil Rights Cases of Supreme Court ruled Congress could not legislature against the racial discrimination practiced by private citizens
Railroads, hotels, or other businesses used by the public
1896- Plessy v. Ferguson upheld a Louisiana law requiring “separate but equal accommodations” for passengers on railroads
Court ruled the law did not violate 14th Amendment
Federal court decisions supported a wave of segregation laws, known as Jim Crow
Segregated washrooms, drinking fountains, park benches, and other facilities in virtually all public places

10. Loss of Civil Rights
Other laws resulted in disfranchisement of black voters by 1900
Various political and legal devices were invented to prevent southern blacks from voting
Literacy tests
Poll taxes
Primaries held for whites only
Grandfather clauses
Supreme Court upheld these tests as valid for determining voter qualification

11. Loss of Civil Rights
African Americans were barred from serving on juries
Often given stiffer penalties than whites for the same crimes committed
Lynch mobs killed more than 1,400 men in the 1890s
Economic discrimination kept African Americans out of skilled trades and factory jobs
Remained engaged in farming and low-paying domestic work while whites and immigrants learned the industrial skills to help them rise to the middle class

12. Responding to Segregation
Many African Americans responded with confrontation
Ida B. Wells, editor of a black newspaper, campaigned against lynching
Death threats and destruction of her printing press forced Wells to continue her work in the North

13. Responding to Segregation
Booker T. Washington advocated African Americans to accommodate their oppression
Established industrial and agriculture schools for African Americans in Tuskegee, Alabama
Helped African Americans learn skilled trades while Washington preached the values of hard work, moderation, and self-help
Earning money was like having “a little green ballot” that would empower African Americans more than a political ballot
Emphasis on racial harmony and economic cooperation received praise from many whites

14. Responding to Segregation
Some civil rights leaders had mixed reaction to Washington’s approach
Criticized him as too willing to accept discrimination
W.E.B. Du Bois would demand an end to the segregation and the granting of equal rights to all Americans
Argued political and social rights were a prerequisite for economic independence

15. ?
Despite progress and growth, what FOUR major factors contributed to the South remaining the poorest region in the country after the Civil War?
What was George Washington Carver’s major contribution to agriculture?
Southern Democrats were supported by which two voter bases? What types of policies did these groups favor?
What was the significance of the decision in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)?
List the various political and legal devices used to prevent southern blacks from voting.