The story
Coined by its leading proponent, Atlanta editor Henry W. Grady, in 1874.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
New South
Today it means: A proposed reform and modernization of the Southern United States, involving tighter integration with the rest of the United States and a rejection of the economy and traditions of the Old South and the slavery-based plantation system, while maintaining white supremacy through Jim Crow laws and disenfranchisement. Full definition →