A Shattered Fairy Tale: The South after the Civil War

1 Name Date A Shattered Fairy Tale: The South after the Civil War By Toni Lee Robinson What happens when a Fairy tale has an unhappy ending? For some people, the antebellum or pre- Civil War South was an American Fairy tale. There were handsome princes, ladies fair, and a noble code of honor. The pace of life was serene and genteel. But in this Fairy tale, no one was destined to live happily ever after . Even before the Civil War, the South was not quite the place of enchantment it might have seemed. The agricultural economy relied heavily on slave labor. Nearly four million black slaves were forced to work on the large plantations. They certainly did not lead storybook lives. Neither, for that matter, did poor whites. The Fairy tale Southern culture may have been real only to a few members of the wealthy upper class.

2 In any case, nothing was the same for anyone after the war. By the time of Lee's surrender at Appomattox, the South lay in ruin. Cities, farms, and homes were burned and ravaged by cannon fire. Railroads and bridges were destroyed. Business and industry were nearly wiped out. Almost 300,000. Southern men were dead. In the midst of this Shattered Fairy tale, daily life followed a rocky path. Everything from food to fuel was in short supply, if it could be found at all. Families dug in burned and shell-studded fields for root crops or any kind of edible vegetation. Tents or ruined houses were shelter for many. Disease added to the huge death toll. The Deep South lay in desolation. The rubble was a monument to General William T. Sherman's determined destruction of anything that could be used by the Confederacy.

3 Rebuilding was a much lower priority than survival. In the border states of Kentucky and Missouri, prowling bands from both armies plundered homes and towns in "foraging" raids. Raiders took food, livestock, or whatever they could carry off. It took time for the official cease-fire to filter down to these guerilla-like groups. In some areas, these raids occurred regularly for weeks on end, even after the war was over. Shortly after the cease-fire, Northern relief agencies came with food and other basic supplies for displaced slaves and poor whites. One way or another, most people made it through until the fields began to produce enough food to stave off starvation. The immediate crisis passed. The federal government launched its rebuilding plans. Military governments and newly forming state agencies began to bring some order to the chaos.

4 Life assumed a pattern that was not quite so desperate. But even for people not used to luxury, the war brought an existence totally different from what they had known. The once-tranquil pace of the South was based on an agricultural lifestyle. With the loss of slave labor, large-scale farming could no longer be sustained. Federal control weakened the power of state governments. This change struck deep at the heart of Southern life. The Confederacy had gone to war to slay this dragon-sized threat. But the monster had defeated the hero, the castle was spoiled, and enchantment was no more. Partisan wrangling through the process of Reconstruction made peace and stability seem hopelessly out-of-reach. Then federal oversight gradually wound down. President Rutherford B. Hayes removed the last Union troops from southern occupation posts.

5 In a process known as redemption, the "white man's party" of Southern Democrats took over state governments. The South moved into her post-war identity. Patterns of new life emerged. Blacks were no longer slaves. Some entered labor contracts with white employers; some became sharecroppers. Many looked to urban areas for Name Date their future, and the cities began to grow. The stirrings of industrialization strengthened the economy. Relationships with Northern markets and investors were re-established. Slowly, railroads were recreated and goods moved to market. It became possible to do business and make a living. But the bitterness and destruction of ruined dreams shaped cultural landscapes. Through institutionalized segregation, southern whites clung to their status as lords over the black man.

6 Separation of blacks and whites became solidly established in everything from schools to public toilets. A. distrust of Northerners and a deep, abiding grief over the loss of the antebellum South fixed themselves like thorns in the hearts of some of the people. The Fairy tale was dead. A Shattered Fairy Tale: The South after the Civil War Questions 1. When people speak of the antebellum South , they generally mean: A. the pre- Civil War South B. the time when women wore hoop skirts C. the South after the Civil War D. that the South was slow-moving and backward 2. Which General's plan called for complete destruction of anything useable? A. General William Sherman B. General Grant C. General Robert E. Lee D. General Stonewall Jackson 3. How many Southern men died in the Civil War? A. over 600,000. B.

7 Almost 300,000. C. over 500,000. D. 50, 500. 4. Why was slave labor so important to the Southern economy? A. Workers were needed for large-scale plantation farming. B. Southerners weren't used to working. C. Workers were needed for the many factories. D. Slave labor freed the upper class to work at their white collar jobs. 5. What began to happen to change the Southern economic base? A. Industrialization began. B. Business owners got government loans. C. War debt was cancelled. D. Crop rotation was initiated. 6. Which president ended occupation of the South by government troops? A. Johnson B. Grant C. Lincoln D. Hayes Name Date 7. By what practice of separation did Southern whites try to hang on to their former status as rulers over blacks? A. Civil rights legislation B. Segregation C. Reconstruction D.

8 Redemption 8. Southern Democrats were known as: A. Abraham Lincoln's party B. The white man's party C. The poor man's party D. The champions of Civil rights What elements of southern life before the Civil War contributed to the idea of a Fairy tale? Would you have wanted to live there as a plantation owner's son or daughter? In your opinion, what caused the bitterness in the South ? Could anything have been done to prevent it?