Piece of the American Dream

Away from the reservations, though, people in the U.S. tried to grab their piece of the American Dream. That included the folks in the postbellum Deep South, even as they battled against years of economic underdevelopment and racial friction. And these images – many from the earliest days of photography – give an unrivaled insight into what life was truly like in that part of the world more than a century ago. Featuring everything from abundant peanut harvests to Mississippi steamers laden with cotton, the powerful snapshots show a region gradually getting back on its feet. Photo Credit: Lewis W. Hine/Buyenlarge/Getty Images