civil war Reconstruction: rebuilding the economy
Reconstruction aimed to help nourish the devastated Southern economy. Inspired by the industrial boom that the North had been so successful with, the government sought to expand railroad lines and build factories in towns where unemployment rates were high—especially in black communities throughout rural Alabama and Georgia where the demand for labor was at its peak.
In areas where land hadn’t been destroyed from the war battles, African Americans and poor whites took advantage of a new economic system called “sharecropping.” On small, privately owned farms, landowners would divide up their land and assign a few acres to each head of a household. After being provided with the necessary seed and tools, sharecroppers would work on the farms and keep a small portion of the crops they grew—giving the rest of the harvest to the landowners in return for letting them use the land. Some of these farmers became “tenant farmers” and would lease land for cash and in turn, be able to keep all of what they grew. Without money involved, this bartering arrangement became a great option for impoverished individuals in the agricultural South.
In areas where land hadn’t been destroyed from the war battles, African Americans and poor whites took advantage of a new economic system called “sharecropping.” On small, privately owned farms, landowners would divide up their land and assign a few acres to each head of a household. After being provided with the necessary seed and tools, sharecroppers would work on the farms and keep a small portion of the crops they grew—giving the rest of the harvest to the landowners in return for letting them use the land. Some of these farmers became “tenant farmers” and would lease land for cash and in turn, be able to keep all of what they grew. Without money involved, this bartering arrangement became a great option for impoverished individuals in the agricultural South.
Nationally, though, the government had big plans for their money. The federal and state governments were working together to provide substantial funding to rebuild school facilities, reform the educational system, and provide the proper resources as well as opportunities for citizens of all races and classes. Taxations were implemented to raise lumps of money to go into revamping school systems throughout southern states. For the first time for many average white families, children were getting taught through the high school level. For African Americans, this was the first chance for typical illiterate young men to get an education at all and to in turn, get better jobs and make better wages. Between 1865 and 1868, the first black universities were founded, from Howard in Washington D.C., to Atlanta in Georgia, to Fisk in Nashville, Tennessee.
In the North, the economy was continuing to thrive. Streetcars and subways were being introduced to major metropolitan areas such as a New York City and Chicago, and skyscrapers were hitting new heights. The federal government created pools of money designated to beatifying cities through the construction of parks and green spaces. As the nation’s population increased, so did its profits. Newspapers were being mass produced as paper mill technologies advanced. The national economy was dedicated to industrializing the North and the South, alike, and brought the U.S. out of Reconstruction with a flourishing economy and workforce.
In the North, the economy was continuing to thrive. Streetcars and subways were being introduced to major metropolitan areas such as a New York City and Chicago, and skyscrapers were hitting new heights. The federal government created pools of money designated to beatifying cities through the construction of parks and green spaces. As the nation’s population increased, so did its profits. Newspapers were being mass produced as paper mill technologies advanced. The national economy was dedicated to industrializing the North and the South, alike, and brought the U.S. out of Reconstruction with a flourishing economy and workforce.