Project Questions

1. Compare and contrast the plight of felony offenders in the New South with that of peons. How did convict leasing and debt peonage differ?
2. Men, women, and juvenile offenders experienced imprisonment in unique ways. Using the evidence provided in this unit, explain how these three classes of inmates were affected by the criminal justice system of the post–Civil War South. How did each group of prisoners contribute to the forging of the New South?
3. Central Question: What role did convict labor play in the building of modern America during the second industrial revolution?