Chapter 12 Sections 3 and 4
The New South and the End of
Reconstruction
Why did planters have trouble finding
people to work for them?
• The work too closely
resembled slavery
• Workers often left to
look for better jobs and
more money
Sharecropping
• A family would farm
some portion of a
planter’s land
• A payment, the family
would receive a portion
of the crops
• The planter would
usually provide a place
to live
Sharecropping
• Harsh life
• Could be evicted after a
harvest
• Were often charged
rent, leaving them in
debt
• Could not leave
plantation until debt
paid
– Left them stuck
Tenant Farming
• Did not own the land
they farmed
• Paid to rent the land
• Could choose what
crops to grow
• Enjoyed a higher social
status than
sharecroppers
How did sharecroppers and tenant
farming differ?
• Tenant farmers had a
little more freedom
– Could choose what
plants to grow
– What hours to work
• Sharecroppers farmed
someone else’s land in
exchange for a portion
of the crop at harvest
and for
housing…sometimes
How did changes in farming affect the long
term health of the South’s economy?
• Too make money,
Southern planters had
to grow cash crops (like
cotton) rather than food
crops
• This required the South
to import more food
• This created more
expenses for
Southerners in poverty
Infrastructure
• The public property and
services a society uses
– This was almost
completely destroyed in
the south
– Left opportunities for
business opportunities
– South used
Reconstruction money to
build: roads, bridges,
canals, railroads, and
telegraph lines, public
schools
How did railroads contribute to the
growth of cities?
• Railroads rebuilt and
extended in the south
– Towns and villages along
the railroad turned into
cities
– Trade and business
flourished
– More commerce and
larger populations
Why was southern industrial growth
limited?
• Southern factories often
did not make finished
goods-focused on the
early stages of
manufacturing
• Profits from the cotton
industries shifted to the
North
• Northern companies that
dyed the cotton and sold
the finished product
made the money
What were the sources of funding for
Reconstruction programs?
• Congress
• Private investors
• Heavy taxes
Enforcement Act of 1870
• Banned the use of
terror, force, or bribery
to prevent people from
voting because of their
race.
• Meant to stop the
actions of the KKK
Why did Congress pass the
Enforcement Act of 1870?
• KKK spreading terror
throughout the South
• Desired to eliminate the
Republican party
• Desired to keep African
Americans in a
submissive role in
society
• Tortured, kidnapped,
and murdered
Solid South
• A strong bloc of former
Confederate and
Democratic voters in
the South
• Blocked many federal
Reconstruction policies
• Reversed many
Reconstruction reforms
Compromise of 1877
• Rutherford B. Hayes lost
the popular vote in the
1876 Presidential
election to Samuel
Tilden
• But, the electoral
results were disputed
• Both candidates were
claiming victory in
Louisiana, South
Carolina, and Florida
Compromise of 1877
• A Congressional
commission was set up
to resolve the problem
– Composed of more
republicans than
Democrats
– Democrats rejected the
commissions decision
Compromise of 1877
• The 2 parties made a deal
• Hayes would win the
Presidency
• In exchange for the
Presidency, he would pull
the troops out of the
South and give money to
projects in the South
• Democrats regain control
of Southern politics
• Reconstruction over
What 4 factors contributed to the end
of Reconstruction?
• Corruption- poor
government leadership
• The economy- lots of
taxes and spending led
to deep Southern debt
• Violence
• The Democratic return
to power in the South
What were the successes and failures
of Reconstruction?
• Successes
• Union is restored
• South’s economy grows
and new wealth is
created in the North
• 14th and 15th
Amendments offer
blacks citizenship and
equal protection under
the law
• Freedmen’s Bureau and
other organizations help
many black families
obtain housing, jobs,
and schooling
• Southern states adopt a
system of mandatory
education
What were the successes and failures
of Reconstruction?
• Failures
• Many white southerners
remain bitter toward the
federal government and
the Republican Party
• The South is sow to
industrialize
• After troops leave, many
blacks are denied their
right to vote
• Many black and white
farmers remain caught in
a cycle of poverty
• Racism continues in the
North and South