1. Section 17.3: Reshaping the South

2. Scalawags and Carpetbaggers In some states, white southerners put African Americans in state offices because they had little knowledge and the whites could tell them what to do White southerners who controlled the new politicians were called scalawags Some northerners were elected to political office in the South –They took advantage of the people and made money through corruption –Carried their belongings in bags made from carpet material and, therefore, became known as carpetbaggers

3. Plantations after the Civil War Many of the large plantations were divided into smaller pieces of land for tenant farmers –In this situation, landowners rented their land to owners of small farms Some large landowners let formerly enslaved people have land to farm –In return, the owner would get a large share of the crop –Owner provided the seed, tools, and general supplies to the farmer and the crop was payment for the supplies received –These farmers were known as sharecroppers

4. In sharecropping and tenant farming, the freedmen had a place to live and a chance to do the work they knew Neither practice was good for the farmer –Even though they worked hard, the farmer and his family remained poor Cotton remained a major crop throughout the South, as were tobacco and rice After the war, pecans, peanuts, corn, wheat, fruits, and vegetables were planted They no longer had to depend on just cotton, tobacco, and rice

5. Other Changes in the South People discovered iron ore, coal, and limestone in various parts of the South This led to the creation of a strong iron and steel industry

6. 17.3 PowerPoint Questions (True/False: If the statement is false, replace the underlined word to make the sentence true) 1.) Tenant farmers owned the land they farmed. 2.) Carpetbaggers often took advantage of southerners. 3.) After the Civil War, cotton was the only crop southern farmers grew. 4.) Sharecroppers were very wealthy. 5.) A strong iron and steel industry developed after the war. C.T.) Would you choose to be a tenant farmer or sharecropper? Why or why not?