SS8H7 EXAMPLE BOOK

BOURBON TRIUMVIRATE - All three men had something in common: conservative Democrat Governors who embraced the New South movement by wanting to transformGeorgia from an economy based on King Cotton agriculture to a more modern industrialized economy that traded with the northern states.   At the same time these three conservative Democrats wanted to keep the old traditions of white supremacy in the South during the “Redemption Period”, a period of regaining political power from the Radical Republicans and restoring the type of government that once ruled before the Civil War

Spokesman for the New South movement. Henry Grady used persuasive articles in the Atlanta Constitution newspaper to convince citizens that Georgia needed to become more industrialized and modern. As an orator (public speaker) he traveled to New York and gave speeches to wealthy northern businessmen. Grady persuaded northerners to invest money in southern businesses who wanted to become more industrialized. This changed and improved the Georgia economy that relied mostly on agriculture to one that started to have more manufacturing. As a result, the city of Atlanta became one of the largest cities in the South

The city of Atlanta became a place for Georgia farmers and factory owners to showcase what Georgia had to offer (especially cotton).  Over 800,000 visitors came to Atlanta and viewed over 6,000 exhibits that demonstrated how cotton and new machinery could be used to make new products.  This attracted northern investment dollars which helped industrialize the South and transform the state of Georgia and its cities into industrial centers.  At another Cotton Exposition, Booker T. Washington gave his famous Atlanta Compromise speech

TOM WATSON and the POPULIST POLITICAL PARTY

 As a US Congressman and Senator from Georgia and leader of the Populists Political Party, Tom Watson helped support Georgia’s poor and struggling farmers. He created the RFD (Rural Free Delivery) which helped deliver US mail to people living in rural areas that helped build roads and bridges. Tom Watson opposed (was against) the New South movement and many of the conservative Democrat politicians. He believed that new industry in the south only helped people living in urban areas and did not benefit rural farmers. Early in his career Tom Watson tried to help both white AND black sharecroppers, but later in politics he became openly racist supporting disenfranchising blacks.

COUNTY UNIT SYSTEM

Elections were decided by a unit vote and not by a popular vote of the people.  The population in each county determined how many unit votes a candidate would receive.  There were 8 Urban counties that had the most population, but they only received six unit votes each.   There were 30 Town counties that received four unit votes each.  Finally, there were 121 Rural counties that received 2 unit votes each.  This allowed small rural counties to have a lot of power in politics, however, the majority of the population of Georgia resided in Urban and Town counties.  This system would later be declared unconstitutional.

REBECCA LATIMER FELTON

She is best known as a supporter of women’s suffrage (the right to vote) and she also was in favor of prohibition -the banning of alcohol.  Rebecca Felton was even against the drinking of Coca-Cola!!!  While herhusband was a politician, Rebecca Felton used his political power to reform prison labor and their abuse.  As a writer for a newspaper, she openly expressed her views of white supremacy.   She became the first female US Senator, but it was only for a day and under  suspect circumstances.

1906 ATLANTA RACE RIOT

Atlanta had gained a reputation as a southern city that prospered under white and black entrepreneurship as evident by the success of Alonzo Herndon and Booker T. Washington.  However, political candidates like Tom Watson and Hoke Smith used the  newspaper to spread racial fears and rumors of black men attacking white women.  An angry mob of racist whites killed 26 innocent black men and wounded 100s of others.   Military troops had to restore order to the city. Atlanta was no longer the same

LEO FRANK CASE

 In 1915, a Jewish man named Leo Frank was lynched by an angry mob of racist whites for a crime he did not commit. Leo Frank had been falsely accused of killing a young 14 yr old girl named Mary Phagan at the Atlanta Pencil Factory. He was sentenced to death in prison but Georgia Gov. John Slaton changed his sentence to life in prison even though the evidence showed Leo Frank did not kill the girl. Tom Watson called for people to take action and Leo Frank was kidnapped from prison and the mob hanged him from a tree near Marietta Square. An Atlanta preacher started the rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan by burning a cross on top of Stone Mountain because of the Leo Frank case