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The Daily Insight Hub

Why did some southern leaders call for a New South?

Author

Daniel Santos

Updated on January 13, 2026

Many southern leaders believed that their reliance on one crop had made them vulnerable to the Union’s advances, and they pledged to diversify what they called the “New South.” Henry W. Grady, and other intellects of his time, foresaw an agricultural society based around the growth of several crops.

Which southern leader encouraged the South reconcile?

Robert E. Lee – Urged Southerners to reconcile with the Northerners at the end of the war and reunite as a union when some wanted to continue to fight; Became president of Washington College, which is now known as Washington and Lee University.

What was the South response to reconstruction?

After 1867, an increasing number of southern whites turned to violence in response to the revolutionary changes of Radical Reconstruction. The Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist organizations targeted local Republican leaders, white and Black, and other African Americans who challenged white authority.

How did white Southerners respond to the end of the old order in the South?

Most white Southerners reacted to defeat and emancipation with dismay. Many families had suffered the loss of loved ones and the destruction of property. Some thought of leaving the South altogether, or retreated into nostalgia for the Old South and the Lost Cause of the Confederacy.

What is most associated with the New South?

The most associated term of New South is Cotton and mills. The term “New South” refers to the economic shift from an exclusively agrarian society to one that embraced industrial development.

Why did the union not want the South secede?

The secessionists claimed that according to the Constitution every state had the right to leave the Union. Lincoln claimed that they did not have that right. He opposed secession for these reasons: A government that allows secession will disintegrate into anarchy.

Why did leaders disagree about the South rejoining the union?

Why did leaders disagree about the South rejoining the Union? Lincoln did not want to punish the South after the war ended. He believed that punishment would accomplish little and would slow the nation’s healing from the war.

Why did the South not like Reconstruction?

The reasons for white opposition to Reconstruction were many. The essential reason for the growing opposition to Reconstruction, however, was the fact that most Southern whites could not accept the idea of African Americans voting and holding office, or the egalitarian policies adopted by the new governments.

What made Reconstruction so difficult?

The most difficult task confronting many Southerners during Reconstruction was devising a new system of labor to replace the shattered world of slavery. Out of the conflicts on the plantations, new systems of labor slowly emerged to take the place of slavery.

How many customers does the Southern Company serve?

Through its subsidiaries it serves 9 million gas and electric utility customers in 6 states. Southern Company’s regulated regional electric utilities serve a 120,000-square-mile (310,000 km 2) territory with 27,000 miles (43,000 km) of distribution lines.

When did Southern Company become a global company?

History. In 1981, Southern Company became the first electric utility holding company in 46 years to diversify its operations by forming an unregulated subsidiary. In January 1982, Southern Energy, Inc., began official operations as a global energy company, growing to serve 10 countries on four continents.

When did Southeastern Power and light merge with Southern Company?

In 1930, Southeastern Power & Light merged into the Commonwealth & Southern Corporation. The new system included five Northern companies and six Southern companies. However, in the late 1940s Commonwealth & Southern was dissolved to meet the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935.

Where did the Southerners go after the Civil War?

Slavery would not be abolished there until 1888. With land selling as cheaply 22 cents per acre in Brazilian States like São Paulo, the Emperor’s attempt to lure Southerners to Brazil was fairly successful with anywhere from 9,000 to 20,000 Americans eventually settling in Brazil.