The New South, as a concept that emerged after the end of the Civil War, promised a significant transformation of the country’s southern regions. Since the task was to strengthen the social sphere and the infrastructure of the states that had suffered economically, the politicians concerned managed to achieve some improvements. For instance, as Tyler notes, the southern region began to show industrial growth, which, in turn, improved urbanization. Corbett et al. also mention the construction of railways as a major program designed to improve transportation between the north and south (566). Thus, the movement to improve the economic situation of the southern states became part of the national program aimed at developing the region in question.
However, from a social perspective, the New South was hardly truly new. For example, in his address to the people of the region, Booker T. Washington, a well-known activist, emphasized that the well-being and prosperity of African Americans depended on themselves (Corbett et al. 563). Many members of the black population disagreed with him because, for them, real freedom lay inequality but not in the ability to continue to work. Women’s rights continued to be oppressed, and although the reconstruction of the region was the initiative of northern white capitalists, no significant changes from a racial perspective followed. This means that, despite attempts to improve the development of the southern states, the dominant class did not set the task of building a just society with equal rights at all costs. As a result, for decades, African American activists and freedom fighters strove for equality, which highlighted the poor effectiveness of the New South agenda in practice.
Works Cited
Corbett, P. Scott, et al. U.S. History. OpenStax, 2014.
Tyler, Ray. “Henry Grady’s Vision of the New South.” Teaching American History, Web.