6.4 Time Period 6 APUSH

Topic 6.4: The "New South"

Overview

• Learning Objective: Explain how various factors contributed to continuity and change in the "New South" from 1877 to 1898.

• Context: The South was recovering from the devastation of the Civil War while the West was being developed.

• Vision for the "New South": A self-sufficient economy focused on modern capitalism, industrial growth, and improved race relations, though heavily rooted in its agricultural past and racial divisions.

Growth of Industry

• Advocacy for Economic Diversity:

  • Henry Grady: Editor of the Atlanta Constitution; promoted industrial growth and laissez-faire capitalism.

  • Local Government Incentives: Offered tax exemptions and low-wage labor to attract Northern entrepreneurs.

• Key Developments:

  • Birmingham, Alabama: Emerged as a leading steel producer.

  • Memphis, Tennessee: Became a center for the lumber industry.

  • Richmond, Virginia: Became the capital of the tobacco industry.

  • Textile Production: Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina surged past New England in textile production.

  • Employment Data: By 1900, there were 400 cotton mills employing almost 100,000 white workers.

• Railroad Integration: Southern railroads adopted standard gauge rails, linking with national networks.

• Postwar Growth Statistics: The South's growth in population, industry, and railroads matched or surpassed national growth rates.

Challenges to Industrial Growth

• Dominance of Northern Financing:

  • Northern investors controlled three-quarters of railroads and steel industries, leading to profits flowing north rather than being reinvested in the South.

• Education and Workforce Issues:

  • Failure of state and local governments to expand public education limited the skills of Southern workers, hampering growth and economic opportunity.

  • Inequities in working conditions and wages, particularly in comparison to Northern workers.

Agriculture and Poverty

• Continued Agricultural Dependence:

  • By 1900, Southern agriculture remained largely cotton-dependent, making it the poorest region in the U.S.

• Tenant Farming:

  • Over half of White farmers and three-quarters of Black farmers were either tenant farmers or sharecroppers, leading to economic instability.

• Debt Cycle:

  • Sharecropping combined with crop liens forced farmers into perpetual debt, obstructing any chance of financial independence.

• Cotton Economy Crisis:

  • The glut of cotton in the market led to drastic price declines (over 50% by the 1890s), resulting in many farmers losing their land.

• Diversification Efforts:

  • George Washington Carver's promotion of alternative crops helped push toward a more varied agricultural base.

Organization of Farmers

• Farmers' Alliances:

  • The Farmers' Southern Alliance claimed over 1 million members by 1890; the Colored Farmers' National Alliance had around 250,000 members.

  • Both organizations sought political reforms to address economic issues.

• Potential for Unity:

  • Collaborative efforts between poor Black and poor White farmers could have created a significant political movement, thwarted by economic and racial divisions.

Segregation and Discrimination

• Post-Reconstruction Racial Climate:

  • Following the end of Reconstruction in 1877, Southern politicians (redeemers) reinstated white supremacy through segregation laws.

• Supreme Court Decisions:

  • Civil Rights Cases of 1883 and Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) validated segregation laws, establishing the "separate but equal" doctrine.

• Jim Crow Laws:

  • Led to widespread discriminatory practices in public spaces, disenfranchising African Americans and enforcing inequality in access to facilities.

Loss of Civil Rights

• Voter Suppression Tactics:

  • Literacy tests, poll taxes, and other barriers led to significant drops in registered Black voters (e.g., Louisiana from 130,334 to 1,342 between 1896 and 1904).

• Judicial Discrimination:

  • African Americans faced legal discrimination, including exclusion from juries and harsher sentencing in courts, often without the formality of a trial.

• Racial Violence:

  • Lynching was rampant, with thousands of Black individuals murdered throughout the 1890s.

Responses to Segregation

• Activism Against Oppression:

  • Ida B. Wells: Fought against lynching and discrimination, using her platform to raise awareness.

• Migration Movements:

  • Some African Americans, led by figures like Bishop Henry Turner, sought to leave the oppressive South for opportunities elsewhere.

• Booker T. Washington's Philosophy:

  • Advocated accommodation and vocational training, stressing economic self-reliance over political agitation.

  • Atlanta Compromise: Argued for cooperation and mutual progress between Black and White Southerners, promoting skilled labor training at Tuskegee Institute.

  • Formed the National Negro Business League to support Black entrepreneurship.

Legacy of Washington and Responses to His Philosophy

• Mixed Reactions:

  • Washington was praised for fostering self-reliance but criticized for accepting discrimination.

  • W.E.B. Du Bois emerged as a contrasting leader, demanding civil rights and an end to segregation.

• Long-Term Changes:

  • Racial tensions and divisions continued until the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s, with the "New South" vision only partially realized post-World War II.