Georgia History Notes

Late Nineteenth Century

through

World War I

I. Bourbons and Redeemers

A. 1870: Reconstruction ended in Georgia

1. A group of men known as the Bourbon

Triumvirate came into political power in

Georgia.

2. All three men served on and off as

either the governor or a U.S. Senator

until the 1890s

3. They’re called the Redeemers because

they took power back from the Yankees,

Republicans, carpetbaggers and scalawags

4. These men were all former Confederates.

B. The Bourbons/ Redeemers were:

1. John B. Gordon – Confederate General

2. Joseph (Joe) Brown – Civil War Governor

3. Alfred Colquitt – Confederate General

C. Bourbon Beliefs:

1. Promoted the idea of a New South

built on industry and manufacturing

2. Supported the convict-lease system

3. Favored the rich landowners and

factory owners not the lowers classes

4. They were white supremacists.

5. All three were Democrats.

D. Henry Grady

1. He was the spokesman for the

Bourbon’s New South Movement.

2. He was the editor of the

Atlanta Constitution newspaper.

3. He gave speeches and wrote articles

to support the Bourbon policies and

help them win their elections.

4. He supported northern investment in

Georgia and the cotton expositions.

E. International Cotton Exposition

1. Grady and the Bourbons promoted

three large fairs (expositions) in Atlanta

in the late 1800s trying to bring business

and outside money (investments) to the

city.

2. The expositions promoted new

inventions and technologies and

helped make Atlanta the center of the

New South as well as the business

center of Georgia.

II. The Populists

A. The Populist Party was also called the

People’s Party and was a threat to the

Democrats.

B. It was a political party that appealed to

the common people (poor white and

black cotton farmers) in the 1890s.

C. It was against big business (railroads

and industry) that hurt farmers.

D. It called for the direct election of U.S.

Senators and the free coinage of silver.

E. Supported by the Farmer’s Alliance

F. Populism tried to gain the support of

black voters and allowed them to

participate in politics. Ultimately, this

may have caused the movement to

come to a brief end as Democrats

accused them of trying to help the

former slaves take over Georgia which

scared many white voters away from

the movement.

G. Populists were against the convict-

lease system and the Bourbons.

III. Tom Watson

A. Georgia’s most famous Populist.

B. Elected to the U.S. House of

Representatives in 1890 (only one term)

C. Sponsored the Rural Free Delivery Bill

1. It made the Post Office deliver the

mail free of charge to people in rural

areas.

2. This made the life of Georgia’s

farmers a lot easier because they no

longer had to travel to town for mail.

D. Watson published a Populist newspaper

and was a supporter of white supremacy

and was anti-Catholic. He encouraged the

violence against the Jew Leo Frank.

E. He was a big voice in state politics and

helped get Hoke Smith elected governor.

F. Publicly attacked Leo Frank in editorials.

G. He was against America’s entry into WWI.

H. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in

1920 and died in 1922; his seat was

temporarily filed by the first woman to

serve in the U.S. Senate –

Rebecca Latimer Felton.

IV. Rebecca Latimer Felton

A. She was a Progressive Reformer

B. She was against the Bourbons.

C. She helped bring an end to the convict-

lease system in Georgia.

D. She was perhaps the South’s most

famous supporter of women’s suffrage –

She fought for women’s right to vote

E. She was the first woman to ever be

sworn into the U.S. Senate in 1922

when Tom Watson died she replaced

him and served for 24 hours.

V. 1906 Atlanta Race Riot

A. September 22 – 24, 1906

B. Causes:

1. Atlanta newspapers alleged that

black men had assaulted white women

2. Hoke Smith & Tom Watson stirred up

a lot of racism in Atlanta newspapers

that helped Smith become governor.

3. Jim Crow Laws and Segregation

C. Saturday night a white mob attacked the

black neighborhoods of Atlanta because

of the alleged newspaper reports.

D. Many blacks were killed or injured.

E. Two days later another shootout took

place between blacks and whites.

1. A policeman was killed

2. Over 250 blacks were arrested.

F. The national guard had to be called in to

keep the peace.

G. Helped spread segregation laws through

out Georgia and led to more discrimination

against African-Americans voting.

H. Helped inspire more aggressive civil

rights movements like DuBois’ ideas as

opposed to those of Booker T. Washington

VI. Leo Frank Case

A. 1913, a young white girl’s dead body

was found in the basement of the

National Pencil Company in Atlanta.

B. Her boss, a young Jewish man, was

found guilty despite of his innocence.

C. Frank may have been convicted simply

because of anti-Semitism (hatred of Jews)

D. While serving a life sentence some

white men drug Frank out of prison and

lynched (hung) him in Marietta.

VII. County Unit System

A. A system used to elect leaders in the

Democratic primaries from the 1890s

until the 1960s when it was ruled

unconstitutional (illegal).

B. A person won or lost based upon the

number of counties they won NOT the

amount of votes they received statewide.

C. The system allowed the rural areas to

control state government not the large

urban areas like Atlanta which kept

segregation laws in place.

D. It violated the “one man, one vote” idea.

VIII. Jim Crow Laws

A. Jim Crow was the name of the laws

passed throughout the South starting in

the 1890s that enforced a separation of

the two races in all forms of public life

that is known as a policy of segregation.

B. Segregation examples: buses, trains,

water fountains, restrooms, swimming

pools, hotels, restaurants, theatres, etc.

C. Democrats passed the laws to help

stop the Populist Party’s attempts to

gain black votes.

IX. Plessy v. Ferguson

A. U.S. Supreme Court Case legalizing

Jim Crow Laws throughout the South.

B. Created the Separate but Equal Doctrine

1. Segregation was okay as long as

separate racial facilities were equal

2. Facilities were never funded equally

C. Disfranchisement – taking away the right

to vote, civil liberties or personal freedoms

(i.e. 1. Poll Tax 2. White Primary 3. Literacy Test)

D. Racial Violence – fighting between the

races – Atlanta Riot and KKK activities

X. Booker T. Washington

A. Famous African-American Educator

B. Gave the Atlanta Compromise

Speech at Cotton Exposition - 1895

1. It called for acceptance of

segregation and called for blacks

to invest in education and

become economically independent

2. This policy became known as the

accomadationist strategy

C. Founded the Tuskegee Institute

XI. W. E. B. DuBois

A. Famous Civil Rights activist who taught

at Atlanta/ Clark Atlanta University

B. Disapproved of the idea of gradually

gaining civil rights as outlined in the

Atlanta Compromise Speech

C. Founded the Niagara Movement and

helped start the N.A.A.C.P. – National

Association for the Advancement of

Colored People

D. He wrote many books about black social

conditions in the South.

XII. John and Lugenia Burns Hope

A. African-American civil rights leaders

B. John was the first black president of Morehouse College & Clark Atlanta University

C. John strongly supported public education for blacks as well as other civil rights

D. John worked with the DuBois’ Niagara Movement and the N.A.A.C.P. as well as many other civil rights organizations

E. Lugenia started the Neighborhood Union that provided services for blacks in Atlanta.

F. During WWI, Lugenia helped organize support groups for America’s black soldiers

XIII. Alonzo Herndon

A. Known as the South’s best barber

B. Owned several barbershops in Atlanta

C.1905- founded the Atlanta Life Insurance

Company and became Atlanta’s

wealthiest African-American

businessman and largest land owner

D. He worked with many famous black

leaders and donated to charities to help

improve the equality of life for African-

Americans

E. A man of influence among both races

XIV. World War I – (WWI)

A. Began in 1914 when Austrian prince

Franz Ferdinand and his wife were killed

by an assassin in Sarajevo.

B. A system of treaties and secret alliances

eventually dragged all of Europe into war

C. Austria-Hungarian Empire, Germany

and the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) were

the Central Powers who fought the

Allied Powers of Britain, France & Russia

C. Conflict last four years with Allied victory

D. New weapons: airplanes, tanks, machine guns & gas

XV. America’s Entry into WWI

A. President Woodrow Wilson called for

America to be neutral – not get involved

B. 1915 – Lusitania – British passenger

ship carrying Americans is sunk by a

German U-boat (submarine)

C. Zimmermann Telegram – Germany

promised to help Mexico reclaim lost

land if it would attack the U.S.

D. Germany begins sinking American

ships headed to Europe E. 1917 – America declares war – joins Allies

XVI. Georgia’s Contributions to WWI

A. Over 100,000 Georgians served

B. More training bases were located in

Georgia than in any other state

1. Fort Benning (Columbus)

2. Fort McPherson (Atlanta)

3. Fort Gordon (Augusta)

4. Fort Oglethorpe

C. Georgia Farmers sold more crops to

feed the Allied armies.

D.German P.O.W.s were housed in Georgia

E. 10 percent of Georgia’s black population

left the state to seek better jobs up North

- this was known as the Great Migration

F. Textile mills in Georgia made uniforms

G. Railroads transported war supplies to

Savannah where them and soldiers

sailed for Europe.

H. When the war was won, President

Wilson said the World had been made

safe for democracy.

I. War ended at 11 o’clock on 11-11-1918 –

this eventually became Veteran’s Day