How Did The Civil War Affect The Economy Of The South

In era following the Civil War, numerous changes occurred in the South. The Southern region was transitioning from a plantation driven economy, to one dominated by small family farms and industry. Although the destruction that occurred during the Civil War made the transition difficult, Southern promoters aimed to imitate the industrial success of the North and West. In order to encourage economic growth, Southern promoters had to unite the South with the rest of the nation through railroad systems and industrialization. It was also a challenge to bring the people of the South together to create prosperity for the region itself, rather than allowing those in power to focus on personal gain. In my opinion, that was one of the most difficult

One of the biggest industries of the time was textile production. The Southern location for textile factories proved to be the most efficient due to their cotton production in the area. However, there was a downside to the textile industry. Northern companies opened factories in the South in order to take advantage of the unfortunate economic conditional of the region. Iron and Steel factories also provided income to the Southern region. The income from these factories would later be used to further expand the infrastructure of the South. In addition to industrialization, the agricultural aspect of the South changed as well. There amount of large plantations run by a single owner decreased and the amount of sharecroppers increased. Landowners would lease portions of their land to farmers, most often former black slaves. The workers would then manage the land and be given a portion of the earnings after the harvest. While it may have seemed like a good deal for those who couldn’t afford their own land, the contracts between sharecroppers and the land owners was often unfair due to the crop lien system that placed sharecroppers on the bottom of the hierarchy come pay time. The sharecropping system also presented another problem for Southern promoters. In order to increase profits, sharecroppers would often take up farming techniques that would benefit

One of the most detrimental aspects of the destruction was the loss of the railway system. The railroad system that preceded the Civil War was barely conducive to growth in the South. The railways mainly connected large plantation to popular ports instead of connecting cities to other cities. The construction of the system was also flawed. Due to development by multiple companies, the widths of the tracks weren’t the same; therefor, it was impossible for one railcar to travel throughout the region. Southern promoters approached this issue by increasing the total rail miles in the region by 400% between the 1870s and 1880s (Trowbridge 2.3). These tracks and the existing track were also updated to comply with national standards that would allow trains to travel throughout the South and up into north and western