The New South was actually lagging far behind the rest of
the country. After reconstruction, industrialisation was one angle that was in
the process of implementation. This process completely failed as the New South
continued its dependence on agriculture. Some of the cities like Atlanta and
Charleston did accept industrialisation, but these were really segregated
cases. The discrimination towards the African Americans continued and this had
a direct impact on the social structure. These factors made it very hard to
overcome the downturn in the economy of the south.