The New South-Politics and the Economy in Post-war Georgia Notes

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1 1 The New South-Politics and the Economy in Post-war Georgia Notes Remember Georgia was struggling to overcome the hardships that had brought to the state and a faltering economy (War, Union Blockade, rail roads destroyed, etc.). Many did not approve of the,, and the amendments that gave African-American s rights and were determined to bring back some of the old ways during the. Many citizens wanted to take back control of the state government from the. Who were the Bourbon Triumvirate? - All three men had something in common: Conservative who embraced the New South movement by wanting to transform Georgia from an based on King Cotton to a more modern economy that traded with the northern states. All three men had extensive interests in the railroad and coal-mining industries, among other commercial pursuits. All three championed white supremacy At the same time these three conservative Democrats wanted to keep the old of white supremacy in the South during the, a period of regaining political power from the Radical Republicans and restoring the type of government that once ruled before the.

2 2 Joseph E. Brown April 15, 1821 November 30, 1894), often referred to as, was the Governor of Georgia from 1857 to 1865, and a U.S. Senator from 1880 to Became a Republican (white Southerners who supported Reconstruction-era Republicans were called scalawags by their political enemies) for a short time, but returned to the party. Wanted to keep white supremacy a tradition in G.A. Alfred Holt Colquitt (April 20, 1824 March 26, 1894) was a lawyer, preacher, soldier, Governor of Georgia and two term U.S. Senator from Georgia where he died in office. He served as an officer in the army, reaching the rank of major general. John Brown Gordon (February 6, 1832 January 9, 1904) was one of Robert E. Lee's most trusted generals during the American Civil War. He was a strong (against) of Reconstruction and is thought by some to have been the of the in Georgia during the late 1860s. A member of the Democratic Party he served as a U.S. Senator from 1873 to 1880, and again from He also served as the Governor of Georgia from 1886 to 1890.

3 3 So how did they convince Georgians that industry was key to improving the economy? Henry Grady was the editor of Atlanta s newspaper The Atlanta Constitution. The Triumvirate used Henry Grady to help persuade people through news articles that Georgia needed to become more and. He traveled and gave speeches to wealthy northern businessmen who then in turn into Georgia. As a result, the city of becomes one of the largest cities in the south. Grady became known as the. International Cotton Exposition In order to spotlight and shed attention on Georgia s growing textile industry, Atlanta hosted a world industrial fair called the (I.C.E.). The ICE gave Georgia recognition as a new and prosperous industrial state and attracted. Over visitors came to Atlanta and viewed over 6,000 exhibits that demonstrated how and new could be used to make new products. This encouraged more northerners to invest in the south and helped transform the state of G.A. into an. I.C.E. in 1881

4 4 Not everyone was happy with the New South criticized the Bourbons for NOT attending to the needs of the, improving working conditions in factories, improving mental health facilities, or improving the lives of. Farmers resented the new emphasis on and industry. The dramatic drop in prices and the loss of the south s agricultural labor force made life for farmers. To protect and promote the interests, a movement called the was organized. This leads to a new political party called the or the Populist Party The People s Party (AKA: The Populist Party) The (or often called the Populist Party) fought specifically for farmers. The Populist wanted the government to do more to the economy so farmers could more money for their crops. Encouraged politicians to fight for (RFD free delivery of mail to country farmers). Most Populist were white, but some were as well. was a Democrat that was elected to Congress in 1890, but became frustrated that his party was not doing enough to help farmers, so he became a which surprised many Democrats. Early in his career he tried to help both black and white, but later he became openly racist that supported disenfranchising blacks. - To take away someone s rights and privileges such as voting.

5 5 Populist? Oh no, Democrats were not having that! Threatened by the growing popularity of the Populist Party, began paying more attention to needs. By the late 1890s, the Populist Party had its momentum; several members, including Watson, the party and rejoined the Democrats. Eventually the Democratic Party had re-established firm over the South and emerge. Mr. Watson is out here comes Rebecca! Tom Watson, now a, was eventually elected to the Senate where he continued to fight for farmer s issues. In 1922, Watson in office, leaving his Senate seat vacant. The Governor shocked the nation by appointing a woman,, to replace him until a special election the next day. She was a leader in the woman s (right to vote in political elections) and (anti-alcohol) movements. She was even against drinking Coca-Cola. She was disappointed that GA became the first state to reject the amendment (the right for women to vote). Unfortunately, she was also a. Though she held office for only 24 hours, Felton was the first female U.S. Senator in American history!!!

6 6 Racial Tensions Explode Gov. Hoke Smith K.K.K. Forced during the civil war, and the North s policies during Reconstruction provoked a great deal of and ethnic hatred throughout the South. Though the guaranteed African-Americans the right to vote, many used to scare blacks away from. In 1906, was elected of G.A. after promising to pass a law taking the right to away from blacks. This caused tensions to run high Atlanta Race Riot ATL had gained a reputation as a southern city that under blacks and whites, which did not sit well with white supremacist groups. On September 22, Atlanta newspapers published articles alleging that several black men had white women. That night, a group of whites a black messenger on a bicycle, igniting a race that lasted for days. 26 innocent black men were and hundreds of others were wounded. Military had to restore order to the city and ATL was no longer the same.

7 7 The Leo Frank Case African-Americans were not the only minorities discriminated against during this time period. (hatred toward Jews) had also become a cause of conflict in the early 1900s. In 1913, a 13-year-old factory worker, Mary Phagan, was while at work in Atlanta. The factory superintendent, a Jewish man named, was accused of the murder. Despite conflicting testimony and clearly evidence, Frank was and sentenced to death. Two years later, Frank was from his jail cell and hung by a mob. In 1986, a man who had witnessed the murder came forward with new evidence; the GA Board of Pardons reversed the guilty verdict 71 years after Frank s death.

8 8 More conflict- New The South versus the Farmers-The County Unit System Georgia was also locked in a powerful struggle between supporters of industry (the New South ) and. As businessmen in Atlanta gained more, rural Georgians began to fear they were being pushed out of the political process by northern influences. In 1917, farmers were able to convince GA s leaders to adopt the. The county unit system gave each county unit votes in elections for each member of the House of Assembly the county had. Since no county had more than 3 Assembly members, no county received more than county unit votes. This meant that, rural counties had equal or more votes than, urban counties. The county guaranteed, at least for the next 50 years, that power would be kept in the hands of the farmers. especially did not like this because it kept power in the hands of rural Georgians and politicians who normally supported racist policies to win.