Crossword Genius

At that time drew low output in America (3,3,5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

the new world

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'at that time drew low' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are singular nouns, I cannot see how one could define the other.

'output in america' is the wordplay.
'output in' becomes 'the' (I can't justify this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'america' becomes 'newworld' (I've seen this before).
'the'+'newworld'='THE NEW WORLD'

Can you help me to learn more?

I've seen this clue in The Irish Independent.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app