The political economy of education and propaganda in the U.S. South after the Civil War

Abstract

This thesis examines the development of the political economy of the United States South after the Civil War, including the reasons behind the failure of Reconstruction and the emergence of the Jim Crow era. Specifically, I examine how anti-Black propaganda influenced important elections and the role of elite support for public schools in holding together a cross-class coalition of Whites. I also examine the long-run effects of temporary school closures in Virginia that occurred during the 1870s. This has many important implications, which includes understanding how propaganda and systematic discrimination were fostered to maintain the political and policy status quo after an expansion in the franchise. This also includes understanding how temporary school closures affected economic outcomes in adulthood.

I examine these questions using two new sources of data. First, I collected data on anti- Black propaganda using a large archive of historical newspapers. Second, I hand-collected administrative data from Virginian schools that provides information on the student population and school finances. I also exploit a natural experiment whereby Virginian schools closed for at least a year after an unexpected veto of legislation that had different effects on schools across the state.

I find that the use of anti-Black propaganda played a significant role in weakening biracial political coalitions before important elections that set the stage for the legal disenfranchisement of Black voters. I also find that elite support for higher school taxes was important to building cross-class coalitions of Whites after Reconstruction. Finally, I find that temporary school closures during Reconstruction had lasting effects on income and economic mobility in adulthood, particularly for those from low-income backgrounds. These findings provide insights into the importance of propaganda, universal public schools, and the role of cross-class coalitions in shaping the region’s political economy.

Date of Award	Dec 2023
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Queen's University Belfast
Supervisor	Chris Colvin (Supervisor) & John Turner (Supervisor)