He edited the Wesleyan Christian Advocate (1878–82), served as president of Emory (1876–1884),[2][4] and was a General Agent of the Slater Fund, which assisted educational institutions for African Americans following Reconstruction.

T. H. Tyson established a newspaper for African Americans in Oklahoma in 1890 called Our Brother in Black, after one of Haygood's texts.

[5] Perhaps his most enduring legacy comes from his famous "New South" sermon, preached on Thanksgiving Day in Old Church, Oxford Georgia.

During the bitterness and hardships following the Civil War, Haygood called for a "New South," emphasizing "Let us stand by what is good and make it better if we can."

Published in written form, Haygood's sermon text found a wide audience throughout the country, including in the North.