Reconstruction and New South Discovery Ticket #2

New South Discovery Ticket #2

Henry Grady

Henry Grady was editor of the Atlanta Constitution from 1880 to 1889, and used his newspaper to promote what he labeled the “New South”.

•Grady believed the South needed to stop relying on farming and become more like the North economically.

•He tried to get northern businesses to invest in the South, and convinced many northerners to invest in Atlanta.

International Cotton Exposition

In 1881, Henry Grady promoted Georgia’s first International Cotton Exposition, an industrial fair that spotlighted attention on the state’s cotton textile industry. The exposition attracted 200,000 paid visitors and showed the country that Georgia was ready for more industry. Georgia went on to host more expositions, attracting people from 33 states and 7 countries.

Multiple Choice

Who coined the phrase, “The New South”?

• Abraham Lincoln

• Henry Grady

Multiple Choice

What was the International Cotton Exposition?

• Required each Southern state to ratify the 14th Amendment

• Event to show the economic recovery and potential of the South

• Brought mail to rural areas of the South

The Bourbon Triumvirate

•After Reconstruction, Democrats known as “Bourbons” rose to power in the South. Bourbons believed that the South should rely less on agriculture and more on industry.

•In Georgia, three Bourbon leaders dominated the state’s politics from 1872 to 1890: Joseph E. Brown, John B. Gordon, and Alfred H. Colquitt.

The Bourbon Triumvirate

•The Bourbon Triumvirate supported policies that replaced Georgia’s former large plantation-owning class with a new middle and business class.

•They also expanded railroads and increased industrialization, and gained wealth as railroads, cities, and factories flourished in Georgia.

•They promoted “white supremacy” in order to keep the political support of white racists.

Multiple Choice

The Bourbon Triumvirate believed in

• improved working conditions

• economic assistance for the poor

• expansion of education

• increased industry

Multiple Choice

Who was NOT a member of the Bourbon Triumvirate?

• John Gordon

• Joseph Brown

• Henry Grady

• Alfred Colquitt

Agriculture and the New South

•During the 1880s, most farmers were suffering economically and falling further and further into debt because cotton prices had dropped dramatically. Also, labor was hard to find after slaves were freed.

Tom Watson

•Georgia lawyer Tom Watson criticized Grady’s New South because he claimed it hurt small farmers.

•In 1890, Watson won a seat in Congress and argued for farmers’ issues in Washington.

Populist Party and Tom Watson

•In 1891, the People’s Party (commonly known as the Populist Party) was organized by farmers and Tom Watson became the party’s leader in Georgia.

•Watson’s greatest reform was the Rural Free Delivery Bill which provided free mail delivery to rural farmers.

Multiple Choice

Tom Watson’s greatest achievement while in Congress was passing the _________________________

• 15th Amendment

• The New South

• International Cotton Exposition

• Rural Free Delivery Bill