3. New South
SS8H7 The student will evaluate key political, social, and
economic changes that occurred in Georgia between
1877 and 1918.
a. Evaluate the impact the Bourbon Triumvirate, Henry
Grady, International Cotton Exposition, Tom Watson and
the Populists, Rebecca Latimer Felton, the 1906 Atlanta
Riot, the Leo Frank Case, and the county unit system
had on Georgia during this period.
5. All three men
served either as
governor of GA or
U.S Senator during
this time period.
Goals: 1. Expand
Georgia’s economy.
2. Create a more
industrialized South.
3. Keep southern
traditions such as
White supremacy.
These three men dominated Georgia politics from 1872 to 1890.
10. Decline of the Bourbon Triumvirate
• “Independent Democrats” criticized the Bourbons for not
attending to the needs of the poor or improve education
and working conditions in factories.
• Leaders William and Rebecca Felton worked to improve
conditions for poor Georgians using newspapers to
highlight problems in the state.
• The convict lease system “rented” prisoners to
companies to use as workers. It took many years for the
poor conditions the prisoners endured to be brought to
light and changed.
11. Rebecca Latimer Felton
Born in Decatur, Georgia (1835-1930)
Married to a congressman and senator
that opposed the Bourbon Democrats
Was her husbands campaign manager
Became famous as a writer and fighting
for women's rights
Best known as: First Female U.S. Senator
(Only for a 24 hour period, she was filling
in after the person in office passed away)
12. Rebecca Latimer Felton (cont. )
Independent Democrat
Advocated for the rights of the poor and lower middle class
Causes:
Advocated for the rights of women
(Woman suffrage or woman's right to vote)
Worked for reform in prison system( Disagreed with Convict-
lease- system)
Prohibition: Wanted to ban the use of alcohol
A.K.A (Temperance movement)
13. Rebecca VS. Bourbon Triumvirate
“She opposed the Bourbon Triumvirate because of
the convict lease system and the fact that they did
nothing to improve the lives of the poor in Georgia
such as create better education for the poor.”
14.
15.
16.
17. The Outcome of the Convict-Lease-
System
“As public sympathy grew towards the plight of
convict laborers, Southern states struggled over
what to do. The loss of revenue was significant,
and the cost of housing convicts high.
Eventually, many southern states stopped
leasing out their convict laborers, instead
keeping them to work on public projects in
chain gangs.”
18. Convict- Lease- System video
http://www.pbs.org/tpt/slavery-by-another-
name/themes/convict-leasing/
Copy/ paste the link in your web browser to watch the
video,
19.
20. County Unit System
Purpose: The County Unit System was used by Georgia to determine victors in its primary elections.
Fact: The system was established in 1917 when the Georgia legislature, overwhelmingly dominated by the
Democratic Party, passed the Neill Primary Act.
Definition: Each county was given a certain number of votes and the candidate who received the highest number of
votes in that county won all the "unit votes," under a form of block voting. A candidate had to have a majority of
county unit votes to win and if no candidate received a majority, then a run-off election would be held between the
top two finishers
How votes were distributed: There were 410 County unit votes. The eight most populous counties had six unit votes
each (a total of 48), the next 30 most populous counties had four votes each (a total of 120) and the remaining 121
counties had two votes each (a total of 242). The counties with two votes therefore had a majority of the votes,
despite only making up one-third of the population in 1962 when the system was abolished by the courts.
Unconstitutional: In 1963, the county unit system was declared unconstitutional by the United States Supreme
Court in its Gray v. Sanders decision. The Supreme Court found that the system violated the "one man, one vote"
principle. Violated the 14th amendment.
21.
22. Henry W. Grady (1850-1889)
Born: Athens, Georgia
Editor/Journalist of Atlanta Journal Constitution from 1880 to
1889
Urged people to forget the past and create a “New South”
Wanted to create industry from within the state
His paper helped to bring investments to the North
Promoted his ideas through the Atlanta Constitution, as
editor.
23. Grady cont.
Supported and sought northern investment in
southern industry
Newspaper helped ease racial tension
Helped bring jobs, recognition, and investments to
Georgia
A principal planner for the International Cotton
Exposition in 1881 to show off the South’s new
industries
24.
25. Grady Hospital
When it opened in 1892, Grady Hospital
represented the most advanced principles and
philosophies of medicine and hospital architecture.
The city-owned and operated hospital was named
for Henry W. Grady, a prominent Atlanta newspaper
editor and proponent of the "New South." He and
other leaders of Atlanta wanted a facility that
would be free from all sectarian and
denominational influences. When Grady Hospital
opened, it welcomed rich, poor, black and white.
26. International Cotton Exposition
Event held in 1881 and
1895; created to show the
economic recovery and
potential of the South after
Reconstruction; tried to get
businessmen to invest
money in Georgia by
building factories (industry).
