This paper will focus upon the economic development that took place from times of New South Creed of Henry Grady, to the times of Sunbelt ethos. Moreover, it is not just the general explanation of what happened during the time, rather the transition and the evolution of three stages has been highlighted; farm hand, mill hand and the factory hand. James Cobb's work published in 1984 inculcates the concepts related to the southern economy in context to the historical background. The Civil War hampered the economic development/ transformation as well as the industrialization processes in the South, which is Cobb's central thesis. .
However, the industrialization system has also proven that the process is highly adaptable to the political and social conditions with a promise to impose lower taxes and minimal interference from the government as an incentive for skilled Labor management.
Despite that certain changes after the war, the southern society lacked behind in improving its industrial economy (pg.2). As per the analysis of Cobb the role of bringing change and transformation to the prevailing conditions could not be attributed to any person, because there was nobody from the elite or the middle class in bringing the change (pg.16) as noticed by Cobb. .
In his study, the first three chapters are devoted to the changes that occurred from 1877 to the time of World War II; thus Cobb chronologically discusses the southern business environment and its impact upon the community. The scholar's assessment also included an insight into the capital invested, labor skills and resources to understand the state of affairs, that shape the nineteenth century. Cobb stresses the relationship between World War II and the South's modernization was the recruitment of northern capitalists and cheap labor. Southern leadership heavily influenced by several key elements: the ever-present history of defeatism, "carpet-baggerizism," "- the boll weevil, depression, and the New Deal, elements which made leaders less fearful of labor shortages.
