New South

proper noun

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.

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Meanings

proper nounthe New South
  1. UShistoricalgovernmentA 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.

Origin

Coined by its leading proponent, Atlanta editor Henry W. Grady, in 1874.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

New South. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/New%20South

MLA

“New South.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/New%20South. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “New South,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/New%20South.

Source: New South on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.