Reconstruction brought a lot of changes to the southern agricultural economy but the south's economy remained almost the same as it was before the Civil War. What were some of these changes and why did they fail to bring change to the South?

As I recall what I was taught, Lincoln's successor, (Johnson, right?) had a lot more contempt for the southerners than Lincoln, and helped to stop or change legislation that was more forgiving for the south and so led to the difficulties they endured. As for specifics, though, all I can say is good luck with that. Sorry.

Yes, I remember Johnson,but I doubt he was much of a problem with
republicans in congress. I'm looking for something pertaining to southern economy/society.

You might find some of the info you want here.



link [www.echeat.com]

Two major corporations, the Tobacco Trust and the Cotton Oil Seed Trust were mostly in the south, tobacco in Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina and oil seeds in Texas, Louisiana. A major steel company, Tennessee Coal and Iron was in Alabama. The world's largest navy yard is in Virginia.

The Sugar Trust was in New York. After the war most of the sugar refining must have moved to the south. Textiles and furniture moved from New England to the south.

I think maybe the other major industries were in the North, rubber in Ohio, electronics and locomotives in Pennsylvania, aluminum and steel in Pennsylvania, leather in Massachusetts. Leather for baseballs is now made in Tennessee, and the Leather Trust is long gone.

The currency was useless, the back taxes were due, there no longer was the 'free labor' as before the war, The war torn country side , no seed for planting etc...

but the biggest stumbling block to the south was and to a large extent still is it seems is the refusal of the people to change. a poster was saying just this week in a different thread that both the White people and the Black people have not changed their 'mentality' or way of thinking from what it was before the civil war started.
The poster lived and worked in the south for a few years and so has first hand personal experience on this subject.

According to Depew, see post #9, a Mr Ward of Columbia, South Carolina patented a rotary steam engine in 1821. I have not been able to find any other information about this, so maybe it doesn't count as an innovation.

No provisions were made to ensure that former slaves could make livings in the agricultural economy. Once they were freed they had either to work for wages for plantation owners,or to emmigrate to the northern states. Which many did,perhaps life was a liitle better in the north,but not much! The Southern plantation economy had been crippled by the civil war. Brig.Gen Nathan Bedford Forrest who had been accused of slaughtering Black Union soldier prisoners.He founded the ku klux klan,this oppression of former slaves aided southern plantation owners in forcing former slaves into the share cropper economy that lasted into the 20th century. And it was not until after the turn of the century that the south began to recover economicaly.

The Southern History Website has statistics about coal production in the Cumberland Plateau. With the exception of the Civil War Years, production increased by rates above 50% a year. That suggests increasing economic activity even before the twentieth century.

Here's some interesting trivia about the Southern economy. According to Depew, a chain of railroads was completed from Bangor, Maine to New Orleans, Louisiana in January 1860. He doesn't say how many times a traveler would have had to change trains, and he doesn't say how much slave labor was used to build them. At least not yet.