Southern Reconstruction in America

From Old to New

An Old South was slowly disappearing as a New South was gaining life by 1865. This is evident in many situations but four southern people, all from different backgrounds, show this process. Cornelia McDonald, Louis Hughes, Samuel Agnew and John Robertson all were affected by this terrible event and their lives altered to accommodate to the direction the south was headed. Although there was change, many citizens hung onto their old way of reasoning not wanting to let go of what they were familiar with before and during the war.

The north and south lived relatively different lifestyles before the war. These differences caused tension between them. After Lincoln’s election in 1860 the fear and anxiety within the southern elite rose and succession occurred. The states of the Deep South formed a government and were referred to as the Confederacy led by Jefferson Davis. The south held many key aspects of life close to their heart for which they fought the war. It was important to fight with honor and protect the family name along with fulfilling their role as a paternalist. The white and African American people were also aware of the class distinctions and hierarchy that was in place throughout society. Slavery was the place of the African Americans and white citizens were supreme. Lastly, the south was not an industrial empire but rural and agricultural. The slave labor helped this thrive and brought content to the white people of the south. Within these categories is where the changes and continuity are held after the Civil War.

Cornelia McDonald’s life was changed drastically because of the war. Cornelia led the life of a wealthy elite lady of the southern culture. She did not have to work but was used as a symbol of her husband’s wealth. After the war began her husband left to defend his honor and the cause while she was left to care for the family. She was forced from her home and became a war refugee. Now she had to do work she never had to do before. She had to do the chores her slaves had to do. While doing these chores she also had to keep her class distinction. It was important to her that she did not lose her place in society.