Final answer:
The Civil War caused a shift in the Southern economy from agriculture to a more diversified economy, while strengthening the North's industrial economy. Reconstruction brought slow and uneven economic progress in the South, and the emergence of sharecropping as a prevalent agricultural system.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Civil War caused a transformation in the economics of the Reconstruction South in several ways. Firstly, the war undermined the South's plantation economy, as the plantations were destroyed during the conflict. This led to a shift in the Southern economy from dependence on agriculture to a more diversified economy. Secondly, the war strengthened the North's industrial economy, as the North experienced significant growth in manufacturing and industry during the war. This created a stark contrast between the economic conditions in the North and the South.
During the period of Reconstruction, economic changes evolved over time. In the immediate aftermath of the war, the Southern economy was in ruins and faced immense challenges in rebuilding. The federal government implemented various policies to reconstruct the South, including the establishment of the Freedmen's Bureau to aid newly emancipated slaves. However, Reconstruction was marred by corruption, political struggles, and the rise of racial tensions. As a result, economic progress in the South was slow and uneven.
One significant economic change during Reconstruction was the emergence of sharecropping. Due to the lack of available land ownership for most farmers, sharecropping became a prevalent agricultural system in the South. Under this system, landowners would provide land and tools to tenant farmers in exchange for a share of their crops. This perpetuated a cycle of poverty for many farmers, both white and black, and limited their ability to accumulate wealth and improve their economic conditions.