CHAPTER II 



THE RUIN OF THE OLD REGIME 

 The immediate effect of the Civil War was a revolution 

 in Southern agriculture. This revolution brought with it 

 varied opportunities for the white and colored populations. 

 For the ex-planters three options were open : The first was 

 to abandon planting — few, however, could afford to do this. 

 Their second option was to remain on the plantation and 

 continue agricultural operations by following as nearly as 

 possible the ante-bellum system of gang labor, merely sub- 

 stituting freedmen for slaves. Their third choice was to 

 move into town and adopt a share tenant system, relaxing 

 somewhat their personal supervision of operations, or even 

 renting their land outright. For the ex-slaves three options 

 were also open^ First to remain and cultivate the land as 

 laborers. Second to quit the plantations which clung to 

 the gang labor system and seek more advantageous terms 

 of cultivating the soil, as tenants or owners. Third to quit 

 agriculture and move into town. > Like the planters few 

 freedmen had the desire or initiative to move at first. Agri- 

 cultural opportunity was opened to still a third group which 

 had, up to the Civil War, been confined mostly to the Upper 

 Piedmont. The small white farmer and the white tenant 

 had the opportunity, for the first time, to gain a place. The 

 slave system which enabled great plantations to absorb all 

 the small holdings was no longer legal, and consequently the 

 situation was most advantageous to the small farmer and 

 the white tenant. 



CAUSES OF THE BREAKDOWN 



Prior to the Civil War the plantations were localized in 

 what has been described as the Black Belt (see Introduc- 

 tion). This section was divided into large tracts of land 



