Which of the following explains why the New South’s primary goal was moving from an agricultural to an industrial economy?(1 point)

Question

Responses

Cash crops such as tobacco and cotton were no longer needed in society, so it made sense to lower production.
Cash crops such as tobacco and cotton were no longer needed in society, so it made sense to lower production.

Post-Civil War economic practices such as sharecropping made it easier to build factories and mills.
Post-Civil War economic practices such as sharecropping made it easier to build factories and mills.

After the Civil War and Reconstruction, the South could not rely on free labor to make a profit.
After the Civil War and Reconstruction, the South could not rely on free labor to make a profit.

The South wanted to industrialize before the North could so it could gain an economic advantage.
The South wanted to industrialize before the North could so it could gain an economic advantage.

Answer 1

The best response that explains why the New South’s primary goal was moving from an agricultural to an industrial economy is:

After the Civil War and Reconstruction, the South could not rely on free labor to make a profit.

This captures the reality that the post-Civil War South needed to find new economic structures and practices since the previous reliance on slave labor was no longer viable. The shift towards industrialization was a way to adapt to these changes and seek new sources of economic growth.