The Gilded Age The New South: From Plantation to Iron Slide 2
Henry W. Grady Editor of the Atlanta Constitution Major voice of
the New South Called for: Industrialization Diversified &
efficient agriculture Widespread education Sectional peace and
racial harmony Slide 3 The Old South Slide 4 Tredegar Iron Works
(Richmond, VA) Slide 5 The Old South By committing itself to cotton
production, the South: Gambled its future on unending demand
(primarily British) Tied its economic performance to international
commodity prices Sacrificed long-term development for short-term
gain Accepted moral isolation from rest of the world (Due to
existence of slavery) Slide 6 The Old South Southern Society A
Study in Contrasts Slide 7 The Old South Distinguishing
Characteristics of Plantations (How were they different from other
farms?) Large size Substantial commercial enterprises Dedicated to
producing staple crops for market Large labor force Management
structure Division of labor Distinction between management &
labor Owners did not work alongside slaves Slide 8 The Old South
Slide 9 The New South? Slide 10 Mechanizing Cigarette Production
Hand rolling: About 240 per hour The Bonsack rolling machine 12,000
per hour Ten machines could replace 500 workers Slide 11 Cigarettes
and the Tobaccos Industry The tobacco industry is about half smoke
and half ballyhoo. James Duke Massive advertising aggressive
pricing virtual monopoly on supplies and key technologies Market
domination 90% of cigarette production by 1890 75% of tobacco
production by 1904 Slide 12 Southern Steel By 1889 Birminghams
steel industry, founded in 1870, was ready to challenge Pittsburgh
for the lead in steel production. By 1907, had been bought by its
northern rival Slide 13 Railroad Impacts Connected isolated areas
to national & international markets. Opened new areas to
settlement & development. Fueled growth of interior cities.
Eased migration westward. Opened southern economy to outside
interests. Slide 14 Southern Economics Limits to Southern Economic
Growth Burgeoning North Low wages Limited capital Colonial
Economics A colony serves as a producer of raw materials, which are
shipped to the mother country. A colony serves as a market for
finished goods produced by the mother country. The colony exists
for the economic benefit of the mother country. Slide 15
Sharecropping/Tenancy Rates 1890 South Carolina - 61% Georgia 60%
Alabama 58% Mississippi 62% Louisiana 58% Slide 16 Sharecropping
facing the eastern end of a westbound mule Slide 17 Sharecropping
Landlord provides: A house A plot of land Seed, tools, mule Credit
at a store (usually owned by the landlord) Sharecropper provides:
Labor (to grow the crop and maintain fences, ditches, etc.) Crop
split 50/50 between landlord and sharecropper Slide 18
Sharecropping Pitfalls: Sharecropping was not a contract between
equals. Landlord held all the power Landlord controlled the
accounting Tremendous incentive for landlord to cheat Forced
continued emphasis on marketable cash crops Often trapped
croppers/tenants in a cycle of debt Slide 19
