Writing Homework Help

Economic, social, and cultural change impacted much of the United States during the decades between Reconstruction and World War I.  As the northeastern United States saw unprecedented growth in industry, immigration, and changes in technology, labor, and business, southerners grappled with losing the war, rebuilding the economy, and making sense of a Confederate past. Advocates of a “New South” called for embracing industrialization and diversifying agriculture while reformers sought to address racial tensions. Did such efforts result in the “New South” becoming a reality or did the southern economy, society, and culture remain mostly the same? In other words, was there significant change in the South during the years between Reconstruction and World War I? Explain why or why not using the sources below to provide evidence for your argument. 

Required Secondary Sources – Use and footnote all secondary sources listed below as you use them in your paper.

• The American Yawp (Links to an external site.) – Chapters 15, 16, 18, and 20 will be especially useful. Footnote the specific chapters you use. You do not have to use all the chapters, but your essay should demonstrate thorough reading and understanding of the content in the chapters.

Required Primary Sources – Use and footnote all primary sources listed below as you use them in your paper.

• 1886 excerpt from Henry Grady’s speech to the New England Society in New York City (Links to an external site.)
• 1887 and 1889 anonymous comments by cotton mill hands and farmers (Links to an external site.)
• 1887 and 1889 extracts from letters sent by tenants and farm laborers to the North Carolina Bureau of Labor Statistics (Links to an external site.)
• 1895 and 1903 excerpts from the writings of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois (Links to an external site.)
• 1896 statement from Warren C. Coleman (Links to an external site.)
• 1900 extract from Ida B. Wells-Barnett, “Lynch Law in America”