History Chapter 17: A New South 1877-1900

The Old South vs. The New South

• The Old South refers to the South prior to the Civil War, characterized by an agrarian economy heavily reliant on slavery.
• The New South emerged post-Civil War, seeking industrialization and economic integration into a modern national economy, moving beyond just cotton agriculture.

Agricultural Systems

• Sharecropping was a system where landowners leased land to workers in exchange for a portion of the harvest.
• Crop lien laws enabled farmers to secure credit based on anticipated harvests, leading to cycles of debt dependency on local merchants.

Segregation and Race Relations

• De jure segregation is legally enforced racial separation, while de facto segregation arises from social and economic conditions or personal choices.
• Jim Crow laws enforced racial segregation in the South, institutionalizing inequality after Reconstruction.

Key Figures and Organizations

• James B. Duke founded the American Tobacco Company, creating a monopoly in the tobacco industry.
• Dr. John Pemberton, a Confederate veteran and druggist, invented Coca-Cola, initially marketed for medicinal use.
• The Grange began as a social organization for farmers but evolved into a political movement advocating for government control of railroads.
• The Farmers' Alliance formed in Texas to combat railroad and manufacturer exploitation, but weakened by racial exclusivity.

Economic Movements

• Cooperatives were established by Grangers for bulk purchasing to reduce farming costs.
• The Subtreasury Plan aimed to stabilize farmers' income by allowing them to store crops for better market prices and access federal loans against their value.
• The Populist Party arose to address social injustices and advocated for reforms including silver coinage and regulation of industries.

Civil Rights Advocacy

• The United Daughters of the Confederacy emerged to promote Confederate memory and is one of the oldest patriotic organizations in the U.S.
• Disfranchisement refers to the systematic depriving of voting rights, utilizing measures like poll taxes and literacy tests to eliminate African American voters.

Landmark Court Cases

• Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) established the "separate but equal" doctrine, legitimizing racial segregation under law.
• The NAACP, founded in 1909, aimed to abolish segregation and garner civil rights for African Americans, challenging discriminatory laws like the grandfather clause.

Prominent African American Leaders

• Booker T. Washington advocated for economic self-reliance and vocational training for African Americans, founding the Tuskegee Institute.
• The Atlanta Compromise, articulated by Washington, suggested that Black Americans would accept segregation if given economic opportunities.
• W.E.B. Du Bois argued for immediate pursuit of civil rights and helped establish the Niagara Movement and the NAACP, emphasizing political activism and higher education for African Americans.