The New South

1
The New South

• SS8H7 Student will evaluate key political,
  social, and economic changes that occurred in
  Georgia between 1877-1918
• Evaluate the impact of the Bourbon Triumvirate,
  Henry Grady, International Cotton States
  Exposition, Tom Watson and the Populists, Rebecca
  Latimer Felton, the 1906 Atlanta Riot, the Leo
  Frank case, and the effect that the county unit
  system had on Georgia during this period.

2
Bourbon Triumvirate
John Gordon
Alfred Colquitt
Joseph Brown

• Redemption Era period after Reconstruction and
  before the New South
• Redeem the state from the hardships of
  Reconstruction (i.e.The Republican Party)
• The Bourbon Triumvirate Joseph Brown, Alfred
  Colquitt, and John Gordon
• Democrats who wanted stronger economic ties with
  northern industry but maintain old South
  traditions (White Supremacy)
• The three men dominated Georgia politics for a
  quarter century

3
The Bourbon Triumvirate

• Democrats controlled Georgias government after
  Reconstruction.
• Powerful Democratic leaders, known as the
  Bourbon Triumvirate were Joseph E. Brown,
  Alfred H. Colquitt, and John B. Gordon.
• Their goals were
• expand Georgias economy and ties with industries
  in the North
• maintain the tradition of white supremacy.

4
Joseph Brown

• Opened law office in Canton, GA
• State senator
• Judge
• N. Georgia farmer
• 1857 elected governor
• States rights activist
• Remained until June 1865lost popularity by
  asking Georgians to go along with Rad. Repub.
  Policies, believing it would shorten
  Reconstruction

Governor Joseph Brown
5
Alfred Colquitt

• Princeton Law School
• State congressman
• Served at Georgias secession convention
• Maj. Gen. in Confederate Army
• 1876 elected Governor
• State debt reduced
• New state constitution (1877)

Alfred Colquitt
6
John B. Gordon

• Lt. Gen. in Confederate Army
• US Senator from GA 1872-1880
• Resigned 1880 (scandal)
• Gov. Colquitt appointed Joseph E. Brown to fill
  his place
• Revolters within his own party (Democrat) felt
  that a corrupt deal had been struck
• Rebecca Latimer Felton was critical of his
  involvement
• Contributed to the Compromise of 1877gave
  Rutherford B. Hayes the presidency in exchange
  for the removal of Federal troops from the South
• Manager of coal mine
• Rumored Head of Georgias KKK during
  Reconstruction
• 1886 elected Governor
• Brought new industry to Georgia

Lt. Gen. John B. Gordon
7
The Bourbon Triumvirate group of three (Brown,
Colquitt, Gordon)wanted to strengthen economic
ties with the North, while keeping white
supremacy considered old Southern traditions

• Successes
• State taxes lowered
• State war debts reduced
• Business and industry expanded

• Failures
• Did not improve lives of poor
• Education suffered
• Did not reform prisons
• Poor working conditions in factories

8
Decline of the Bourbon Triumvirate

• Independent Democrats criticized the Bourbons
  for not attending to the needs of the poor or
  improve education and working conditions in
  factories.
• Leaders William and Rebecca Felton worked to
  improve conditions for poor Georgians using
  newspapers to highlight problems in the state.
• The convict lease system rented prisoners to
  companies to use as workers. It took many years
  for the poor conditions the prisoners endured to
  be brought to light and changed.

9
The New South Era

• Challengers to the Bourbon Triumvirate wanted
  Georgia to be more industrialized.
• Henry Grady was a speaker and newspaper editor.
• Grady described Georgia as a place which could
  have competitive industry and more efficient
  farming.
• Grady envisioned improved race relations in a
  New South which left its antebellum past
  behind.

10
The New South

• New South A phrase used to describe southern
  progress in the late 1800s Industry!
• Henry W. Grady first to use the phraseeditor
  for the Atlanta Constitution

Henry W. Grady
Example of Georgia Industry
11
Henry Grady Voice of the New South

• 1880 became managing editor of the Atlanta
  Constitution
• Known for his controversial editorials
• Visited northern cities and spoke about the New
  South
• Southern economy was growing as agriculture was
  replaced by industry (textile mills, coal mining,
  tobacco factories)
• Pointed out that race relations had improved (had
  they?)
• Ability to sell the New South brought jobs,
  recognition, and investments to GA economy
• Principal planner for 1881 International Cotton
  Exposition
• Increased circulation of Atlanta Constitution
  from 10,000 to 140,000 (used interview process)
• Died in 1889 at 39

12
Georgias Granges

• Grange Groups of Southern sharecroppers, tenant
  farmers, and farmers with small plots of land
• Faced growing debts
• Could not feed/clothe their families
• Could not pay their debts to merchants/landowners
• 1872 Georgias Granges become political (Along
  with others in the South and Midwest).
• Applied political pressure (lobbying) to state
  legislature and forced the formation of a State
  Department of Agriculture (1st in the nation)
• Established Grange-owned stores and cotton gins
  to reduce costs for farmers
• Helped establish that farmers wanted to improve
  their lives

The National Grange
13
Henry Grady statue in 1951
Henry Grady statue in 1891
Henry Grady statue in 2008
14
The Farmers Alliance

• Farmers Alliance began as social organizations
  in the Northwest and the South.
• Formed co-ops purchased goods and equipment
  directly from producers and sold to farmers at
  wholesale prices -cost of production (No taxes).
• Called for more U.S. production of paper money
• Higher credit limits to farmers

15
The Populist Movement

• Rose from farmers and workers who were becoming
  tired, poor, and discouraged!
• The Grange name used for the Patrons of
  Husbandry, a group organized to allow social
  gatherings where farmers could talk about common
  problems.
• Early 1870s prices began to drop
• Banks not lending as much money to farmers

16
The Populist Party

• The Farmers Alliance joined with labor
  organizations (unions) to form this new political
  party.
• Platform
• 8 hour workday
• Govt ownership of railroad, telephone, and
  telegraph
• Graduated federal income tax
• Direct election of U.S. Senators
• Restriction of immigration
• Use of Australian Ballot
• Ballot printed by govt, distributed at voting
  places, and collected in secret sealed boxes.
• 1892 Election Democrat Grover Cleveland
  wonPopulist candidate James B. Weaver

James B. Weaver
White and black farmers
17
Tom Watson

• Georgias best known Populist.
• 1882 elected to Georgia General Assembly
• 1890 elected to Congress with backing of
  Farmers Alliance
• Introduced the Rural Free Delivery Bill (RFD)
  required the postmaster general to find a way to
  deliver mail to rural homes free of charge
• Created a boom in the building of roads, bridges,
  and other improvements needed for the delivery to
  rural areas.
• 1896 ran as vice-president under William
  Jennings Bryant (Lost)

Tom Watson, Populist
18
Rebecca Felton

• A leader towards suffrage-votes, particularly for
  women.
• Pushed for temperance-anti-alcohol
• Popular writer for the Atlanta Constitution
• Used paper as a forum (Way to communicate
  ideasTV, paper, radio, speech)
• Began Georgia Training School for Girls in
  Atlanta
• With Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage
• First female U.S. Senator in nations history
• Replaced another Senator due to death (24 hours)

19
Rebecca and William Felton

• Roots of Populist Movement
• Led a group of independent Democrats against the
  Triumvirate
• From Cartersville
• William Felton
• U.S. Congressman served in GA General Assembly
• Worked to improve education, prison reform, and
  paved the way for controls and limits on alcohol.

Rebecca Latimer Felton
Picture of 1930 Prohibition
20
Industrial Revolution

• New inventions and leaps forward in technology
• The rise of the factory and industry
• Assembly Line
• Poor, difficult and dangerous working conditions
  (Laissez-faire)
• Rise of the City (Urban)
• Labor Organizations Unions
• Worked for the improvement of safety and working
  conditions in the work place.
• Religious and Charitable (Philanthropic)
  organizations came to the aid of workers and
  child laborers.

21
The Progressive Movement
Goal Progress! Goal Progress! Goal Progress!
Society Business Government
fight poverty improve working conditions votes for women prison reform outlaw alcohol break up large corporations regulate businesses decrease corporate power in government greater voice of the people more voters did not seek to increase participation of blacks in elections