After William T. Sherman burned the city to ashes in his Civil War campaign in 1864, the citizens of Atlanta returned to find a completely different landscape. The railroads, once Atlanta’s source of prosperity, were now devastated, and the city lacked government buildings. Yet, the citizens were determined to bring Atlanta back from the ashes, and through a community effort, the city was rebuilt in only a year. The spirit of rebirth in the city led to the creation of the New South: a more industrialized and business-oriented South with Atlanta at its center. This new mentality brought with it great economic development, so much so that the city was nicknamed the “Chicago of the South.” But among the thriving industry and progress, one important segment of Atlanta’s population lived in a different reality: the city’s recently-freed African-Americans.

The New South relied heavily on attracting businesses to Atlanta, and was particularly focused on restoring the business ties with the North that were broken after the Civil War. In order to do so, Atlanta had to look attractive for northern businessmen, and Atlantans had to embrace northern concepts. One such concept involved the issue of race relations, and thus the city’s newspapers often promoted the idea of a racially integrated South, in which blacks thrived along with whites in the city’s development. But while Southern media showcased African-American progress, the New South was ultimately a white concept. African-Americans lived in a different reality and had to forgo certain liberties to participate in Atlanta’s economic development.