Changes in the South

1. Changes in the South Chapter 11, Section 1

2. Industries in the South • After the Civil War, instead of shipping goods to the North for manufacturing, northern capital backed southern production of goods. • Farming also became diversified with additional crops such as grain, tobacco and fruits. • In order to transport goods from the South, railways were added and built by prison labor to keep costs down. • However, the South’s economy was still hampered by a lack of workers and a lack of capital following the Civil War.

3. Southern Farmers Face Hard Times • Even with the introduction of new crops, cotton still remained the dominant cash crop of the South. • After the war, a combination of lack of buyers and a boll weevil infestation severely hurt farmers’ profits. • To combat the loss of profits, farmers began lobbying for lower prices on supplies. • The local organizations of farmers gathered together to form the Farmer’s Alliance. • They lobbied the government to lower freight prices from railroads and the interest rates charged by banks.

4. Black Southerners Face Gains and Losses • Gains: • Able to vote in elections and serve in the military; • Open businesses • Buy farmland • ACCESS TO EDUCATION • Losses: • Restrictions locally re: access to public accommodation • Faced intimidation and violence

5. Segregation and Social Tensions Chapter 12, Section 1

6. African Americans Lose Freedoms • State governments limited the voting rights of African Americans in the ways: • Poll tax required voters to pay a tax • Literacy tests required voters to take a test of “understanding” before voting • Grandfather clause individuals could vote if their grandfathers could vote prior to 1866. • Jim Crow laws also kept whites and blacks segregated. • In 1896, the court case Plessy v. Ferguson maintained the constitutionality of these Jim Crow laws, establishing the “separate but equal” doctrine.

7. Working Against Mistreatment • African Americans disagreed on how best to secure and maintain their new freedoms. • Booker T. Washington build economic resources and establish a reputation. Encouraged blacks to “pull themselves up by their bootstraps.” • W.E.B. Du Bois wanted blacks to demand full and immediate equality. • Ida B. Wells focused on eliminating lynching and raising awareness of the issue outside of the South.

8. Gains for Women • Women did make successes in the years following the Civil War. • Women started by improving their education and becoming more organized in their efforts. • They formed groups such as the Women’s Christian Temperance Union and the National Woman Suffrage Association. • Their biggest goal, suffrage, was still unattainable, though.

9. Political and Economic Challenges Chapter 12, Section 2

10. Corruption Plagues National Politics • The presidencies of Hayes, Harrison, Garfield and Arthur were plagued by corruption, so distrust in government continued to grow. • Once again, the spoils system was a problem. • These slights in government were showcased to the public by political cartoonists such as Joseph Keppler and Thomas Nast. • Nast targeted NYC politician William ‘Boss’ Tweed to expose his illegal activities.

11. Corruption Plagues National Politics • The disdain for political corruption pushed many officials to support civil service reform, focusing on the federal jobs within the executive branch. • Reform began when Chester Arthur signed the Pendleton Civil Service Act in 1883. • This act set up a commission to write a civil service exam. • Individuals who wanted to work for the government had to take the exam. • Jobs were then given on one’s performance on the exam.

12. Corruption Plagues National Politics • While Democrats and Republicans disagreed over the tariff issue (whether they should be high or low), independent parties gained support over their dislike for the gold standard. • Gold standard= gold is used as the basis for the nation’s currency. • The Coinage Act of 1873 stopped the acceptance of silver as value for coins. • Those that supported the use of silver for money (known as bi-metalism) hoped to cause inflation so prices would rise and increase their incomes. • These were generally farmers.

13. Farmers and Populism Chapter 12, Section 3

14. Farmers Face Problems • Farmers were hurt by the following: • High railroad rates for the transport of their crops; • Low crop prices at market; • High interest rates charged by banks. • Farmers blamed big businesses for the hardships they faced.

15. The Populist Party Grows • As different Farmer’s Alliances from across the country joined together, they formed one large political party known as the Populist Party. • Goals of the Populist Party: • End political corruption • Increase the money supply (bi-metalism) • Government ownership of railroads • In the 1896 election, the Populists supported William Jennings Bryan, the Democratic candidate.

16. The Election of 1896 • The Republicans chose William McKinley as their candidate. • McKinley was supported by the big business leaders and raised 30x the amount of funding as Bryan. • While Bryan toured the nation gaining support, McKinley let others do the campaigning for him. • The Republicans cast Bryan and the Populists as a threat to the U.S.

17. Answer the questions regarding this political cartoon on your notes paper.

18. Ticket-Out-the-Door What role did corruption and greed play in the politics of the Gilded Age?