The Political History of Georgia Since 1900

After the close of the civil war there were many social and economic changes in the South. These changes brought about the agrarian discontent from 1880 to 1900. Prior to the war cotton was the principal money crop of the South, and for a time after the close of the war the high prices for the staple induced the farmers to continue producing on as large a scale as possible, even under very adverse circumstances. There being a scarcity of capital and a radical change in labor conditions, caused by the emancipation of the slaves, farming was not a paying business. The ironclad mortgage system was instituted as a means to provide credit throughout the cotton belt. The plantation system was replaced by the less satisfactory cropper system of tenancy. Through the seventies and eighties, and culminating in the nineties, there was a gradual decline in prices. During this time the farmer, especially the land owner, felt that he was bearing more than his share of the burden of taxation.