Yet as planters and their children went into merchandising and storekeepers acquired land, the two groups tended to coalesce. Reconstruction witnessed the origin of a new landlord-merchant class that by the end of the century would dominate Southern rural life.
![A Short History of Reconstruction [Updated Edition]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1420523330l/24316207.jpg)
