Final answer:
The unsuccessful southern government policies post-Civil War were largely due to an overreliance on cotton exports, a destructive naval blockade leading to inflation, a lack of industrial infrastructure, and sectional tensions exacerbating economic and societal turmoil. Inflated beliefs in the plantation economy's self-sufficiency and resistance to federal oversight compounded issues, while Reconstruction efforts like Sherman's Sea Island homesteads were politically undermined, hindering the successful policy development in the South.
Step-by-step explanation:
The government in the south after the Civil War faced numerous challenges that hindered it from developing successful policies. One of the reasons for this was the heavy reliance on cotton exports and the devastating impact of the naval blockade on Southern commerce. Inflation soared as the Confederate government printed paper money in response to a lack of funds due to the blockade. Additionally, the South lacked the industrial capabilities and railroad infrastructure to support a prolonged conflict which exacerbated supply issues.
Southern beliefs in immunity from the market revolution were misguided given that the region could not sustain itself economically without external trade and the advantages of modern infrastructure. The overconfidence in the plantation economy and cotton exports failed to address the underlying economic weaknesses that became glaringly apparent during the blockade. Moreover, the persistence of sectional tensions over issues like tariffs and federal intervention policies, which southerners often viewed through the lens of an antislavery agenda, prevented any unified economic strategy from taking shape. When addressing the question of what measures could've been taken to ease white southerner's hesitations towards federal regulators and policies, greater consideration of their economic interests and assurances that their lifestyle wouldn't be threatened might have reduced resistance.
Finally, the socio-political issue of reconstruction and the handling of newly freed slaves after the Civil War also played a role. The contentious decisions, like the one about Sherman's Sea Island homesteads, which was ultimately overturned by President Johnson, greatly influenced the success of southern policies during the Reconstruction era and the transition of freed slaves to a life of freedom. Constructive federal policies that could have aided this transition may have included land reforms and stronger protection for the civil rights of the newly freed populations.