Chapter 15 Political and Social Change in the New South Georgia Studies Wilson

Time Period Great political and social change occurred in Georgia between the years of The year 1876 was a notable year due to the fact that it was Georgia’s and America’s centennial. Both had been in existence officially 100 years.

Constitution of 1877 In 1877, the General Assembly called for a convention to re-write Georgia’s 1868 constitution. Changes were intended to restrict the power of state govt. 1.Limited Georgia’s ability to borrow $ 2.Tax money was earmarked for few purposes 3.Reduced terms of office for governor and state senators from 4 to 2 years

Bourbon Triumvirate From 1872 to 1890, the Bourbon Democrats controlled Georgia government. They wanted Georgia’s economy to be industrialized, not based exclusively on agriculture. Eventually, Georgia’s economy would diversify. Their goal was to make Georgia more self- sufficient by attracting investors from the North to build mills and factories. The Bourbon Democrats were led by a triumvirate: Alfred Colquitt, Joseph Brown, and John Gordon.

Farmers in Georgia Farmers in Georgia were not prospering during this time. Prices of farm products were dropping. Farmers owed many loans and were charged high rates to ship their products. Farmers feared economic diversification.

Tom Watson and the Populists The populists were a new political party. They were also known as the People’s Party. They stood for equality and called on all farmers to unite. Farmer’s Alliance- groups of farmers united to help one another. (Populism) Tom Watson- leader of the populists

Henry Grady Henry Grady was a journalist from Georgia who was called the “Spokesman of the New South.” Through his speeches and writings, he encouraged northern investors to develop industries in Georgia. He helped increase circulation of The Atlanta Constitution newspaper

International Cotton Exposition In 1881, the International Cotton Exposition was held in Atlanta. It was a fair to bring money to Atlanta’s cotton textile business, thereby beginning the industrialization of Georgia’s economy. Because of the exposition, millions of dollars were invested in Atlanta. Atlanta became known as the center of the New South.

Towns and Cities Towns and cities began to spring up around centers of industry and manufacturing. The population of Georgia began to grow. More jobs = more workers needed.

Rebecca Latimer Felton Felton was a writer, teacher, and reformer. She was an early supporter of women’s suffrage- the right to vote At the age of 87, Felton became the first woman to serve in the U.S. Senate.

The Leo Frank Case Leo Frank was a Jewish man from Georgia who was lynched (hung) by a mob because of anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitism is a belief system against Jewish people. Frank was accused of murdering a young girl. He was found guilty, but because of faulty and suspicious evidence the governor of Georgia, John Slaton, later overturned his conviction. A group of anti-Semites refused to accept his innocence and killed him.

The 1906 Atlanta Riot The Atlanta Riot of 1906 was a string of violent attacks by whites against African-Americans. Such an event is known as a race riot. Racial tension in Atlanta had been increasing because of competition for jobs.

The County Unit System In 1917, Georgia established the county unit system. Each county was given a certain number of votes, called unit votes. Counties were divided into three categories- urban, town, and rural. The candidate who received the most votes won all of the unit votes given to that county. No accurate representation; eventually abolished

White Supremacy White supremacy is the belief that the white race is superior to all others. Many southerners dedicated themselves to white supremacy in the post-Reconstruction South.

Jim Crow South The southern states did not honor the 14 th and 15 th amendments because they feared giving equal rights to African- Americans. Georgia and other southern states passed state and local legislation called Jim Crow laws. Jim Crow laws ordered the segregation of blacks and whites.

Plessy v. Ferguson Some African-Americans challenged the Jim Crow laws in court. The most famous was the case of Homer Plessy and a railroad company in Louisiana. The railroad company tried to make Plessy move from a “Whites Only” train car. Plessy refused and was arrested. In the case of Plessy v. Ferguson, the Supreme Court ruled against Plessy and declared segregation was not against the Constitution. This began the idea of “separate but equal.”

Disenfranchisement Disenfranchisement- the act of denying a person the right to vote Southern states made it difficult for African-American men to vote. This was accomplished by three things: 1.Poll Taxes 2.Property Taxes 3.Literacy Tests

Poll Tax The poll tax was a fee that voters had to pay in order to vote. This prevented poor people from being able to vote.

Property Tax With the property tax a person had to prove he owned property in order to vote.

Literacy Test Voters were required to pass a literacy test to determine their ability to read and write. Most African-Americans could not pass the test. Therefore, they could not vote.

Grandfather Clause Southern lawmakers did not want to lose the votes of whites so they passed a law called the Grandfather Clause. This stated that if a person had an ancestor who had been allowed to vote before 1867, he was permitted to vote. Since 1867 was the first year that blacks were allowed to vote, the Grandfather Clause only helped whites.