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The New South. 1877 to 1917. Politics. All new governments have to abide by the 13 th , 14 th & 15 th amendments and change their state constitutions accordingly but, when federal troops leave, there is no one to see that such safeguards are carried out.
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The New South 1877 to 1917
Politics • All new governments have to abide by the 13th, 14th & 15th amendments and change their state constitutions accordingly but, when federal troops leave, there is no one to see that such safeguards are carried out. • The “Redeemers” take over Southern governments. These are some of the old plantation elite, some merchants, some industrialists & some carpetbaggers . • The will vote Democratic, becoming the Solid South, many of whom won’t vote for a Republican until Eisenhower (1952)
Politics continued • Governments will be full of waste & fraud but this is a nationwide problem at this time. • They will reduce taxes and state spending for services like education. • They will be highly conservative & stay in power by appealing to racial prejudice.
Economics • The industrialization of the New South: Textile mills, tobacco processing plants (The Duke family—Duke University) • Birmingham, AL becomes “the Pittsburgh of the South”. • Textile industry moves south. • More women in the workforce. • Railroad mileage spreads. • Convict lease system
Economics continued • Agriculture diversifies: soybeans, peanuts, citrus fruits • Some keep to the old system, using tenant farmers and sharecroppers to raise cotton. It is essentially slavery in a new form. Led to debt.
Economics continued • A small black middle class grows that sees education as essential. • Booker T. Washington sees economic success as a pre-requisite to political success. Establishes training institutes like Tuskegee University. • Howard University, founded by O.O. Howard, head of the Freedmen’s Bureau, gains in strength. • The South will continue to be the poorest section of the country almost until the present day.
Social • White supremacy remains the norm. KKK • Jim Crow Laws & Plessy v Ferguson • Poll taxes, literacy tests & grandfather clauses • Lynchings increase. 80 % of the lynchings in the 1890s were in the South & the vast majority of victims were black. There were 150 lynchings per year in the South at that time. • Ida B. Wells, an African-American will work for anti-lynching legislation. She will fail