Mississippi in the 20th Century Chapters 7 and 8

The dawn of the 20th century Mississippi became one of the poorest states in the Union after the Civil War. Very little industry existed (except lumber) Agriculture dominated the region. Segregation led to poverty and misery for most people – black and white.

Sharecropping Sharecroppers - tenants who had a contract to work a piece of land for a landowner. The sharecropper and his family worked and lived on the land. “Furnish” – a line of credit issued to the sharecropper Landowner received half of the crop and the sharecropper sold the other half for his own profit. However, the sharecropper had to pay back the “furnishes” with interest and support his family for one year.

Sharecropper’s life Lived in board shacks Had poor diets (cornbread, salt, and molasses) Were in deep debt to their landowner Sharecropping was much like slavery. Planters often cheated the sharecroppers. Sharecroppers usually could not repay their furnishes and became forever tied to the Planter through debt During 1890’s most sharecroppers were black, but by the 1930’s most were white and former small landowners.

Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

Sharecropper’s Kitchen Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

Early Lumber Industry Giant pine trees covered Mississippi at the turn of the century. Between 1880 and 1930, lumber companies clear-cut the entire state. By the end of WWI the lumber boom had ended and all the valuable trees were gone. Fast growing, yellow pines eventually became profitable and people started to replant. Many cities in Mississippi got their start from the lumber industry. (Hattiesburg, Laurel, D’Lo)

Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century) Eastman, Gardiner & Company crew and log loader in the woods northwest of Laurel, Mississippi, in the 1890s.  Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century) Rosa Lumber Co. mill at Picayune in the 1920's. Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

Early 20th century Politics By 1902, the new Democratic Party had approved a “whites only” primary. James K. Vardaman emerged as the premier politician of early 20th century Mississippi. Vardaman is known today for helping the poor farmer and his racism of the time. Believed black children should not be educated Convict lease system (state hired out prisoner to individuals for work) Believed in breaking up plantations and distributing the land to small farmers.

Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century) James K. Vardaman Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century) Convict lease system Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century) Convict lease system Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

MS in WWI In 1917, America enters WWI, on the side of Great Britain and France against Germany and Austria. Most of MS supported the US entering WWI. Vardaman loses popularity in MS after WWI, because he opposed the war. Almost 6,000 men (black and white) served in the armed forces during the war.

World War I July 28, 1914 to November 11, 1918 Allied Powers – France, Russia, Great Britain Central Powers – Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire, Bulgary U.S. declared war on Germany in April 1917 90 million troops total 9 million soldiers and 7 million civilians died

Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century) Camp Shelby 1917 Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century) Men with Company L, 1st Mississippi Infantry Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

The Great Migration (the Black Exodus) During WWI, blacks began fleeing MS in large numbers looking for a better life This alarmed white leaders in MS because the labor force was leaving. Northern Labor recruiters promised black Mississippians a better life away from the oppression and economic problems of MS This migration continued through the Great Depression and WWII When it was all over, MS had lost ¼ of its black population Today, African Americans make up 33% of MS pop. The highest in the U.S.

Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

The Flood of 1927 The flood of 1927 was the worst flood in Mississippi history. 185,000 people had to evacuate different areas of the state. The National Guard was sent to help flood victims. Whites were evacuated; blacks were set up in camps. The camps were set up more like prisons than help camps, eventually the problem was fixed. The flood water did not recede until late summer.

Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century) The train carrying U.S. Vice-President Charles G. Dawes and Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover wrecked near Heads, Miss., on the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley railroad. The engine went into 40 feet of water, killing the engineer, during the flooding in the Mississippi Delta on July 29, 1927.  Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

A tent city after the flood Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

Prohibition in MS In 1920, the United States added the18th amendment to the constitution which made alcohol illegal to make and drink in America. This was known as Prohibition, During Prohibition, the MS Gulf Coast (particularly the Kiln) became famous for supplying Chicago gangsters with moonshine. This became known as “Kiln lightning.” Moonshine is illegally distilled liquor. MS Gulf coast became a major port of illegal port of entry for alcohol. The depression era ended this boom.

Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century) New York City 1930 Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

Destroyed still

Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century) Captured moonshiner Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

The Great Depression in MS The Great Depression of the 1930’s was the worst economic disaster in modern history. MS farmers were greatly affected because they could not pay back their loans. In April of 1932, 25% of all MS land was auctioned off because of unpaid taxes. Unemployment rate was 25% and tenant farmers were being kicked off land by the landowners. People went hungry amidst rich farmland. Though both black and white suffered, segregation and inequality were prevalent in the state.

Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

Mississippi families July 4, 1937 Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

MS Governor Mike Conner concentrated all his efforts to solving the financial crisis in MS. Created sales tax Cut government spending (jobs) President Franklin D. Roosevelt came up with the New Deal. The “New Deal” was a series of laws and programs designed to pull the country out of the Great Depression. MS Senator Pat Harrison was key in the New Deal as head of the Senate Finance committee.

FDR Pat Harrison

Harrison FDR

Several key programs were operated in MS and gave many new jobs. Works Progress Administration (WPA) Public Works Administration (PWA) Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA)

WPA Sewing Room in Jackson, Mississippi Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

WPA Library in Hancock County

Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century) WPA Day Nursery in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century) WPA Gardening and Canning Project in Lauderdale County, Mississippi By 1939 the lunch program fed an average of 46,000 children every school day.  Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century) WPA Toy Lending Project in Jackson, MS Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

WPA Music Project in Guntown, MS Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

Theodore Bilbo Theodore Bilbo was twice governor of MS (1916-20 and 1928-32) and served in the US senate for MS (1935-1947) Bilbo was known for his flair and unscrupulous activities. He used ruthless tactics against his opponents and during his time in the senate he turned these tactics against blacks. John Stennis replaced Theodore Bilbo in the Senate, after his death from cancer.

Theodore Bilbo

Mississippi in WWII On Dec. 7th 1941 the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and this brought America into WWII. 1 out of every 9 (over 250,000) Mississippians served in the armed forces during WWII. Many young men went to fight and did not return in sacrifice for their country. WWII brought great change to MS. Pascagoula, the home of Ingall’s Shipyard, became a boomtown. Biloxi and Hattiesburg expanded with the arrival of Keesler Air Base and the expansion of Camp Shelby.

World War II 1939 – 1945 Allies – France, Great Britain, Russia Axis Powers – Germany, Japan, Italy United States declared war on Japan on December 8, 1941 20 million military and 40 million civilians died

Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century) Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi, opened in June 1941 as a training center for pilots. Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

The USS Arizona burning at Pearl Harbor Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century) D-Day, June 6, 1944 Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

Ingalls Shipyard’s first launch, and the world’s first all-welded ship, was the Exchequer, 1940.

Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century) Ingalls built USS George Clymer, 1942. Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

Young men board an Illinois Central train on their way for induction in the Marine Corp.

Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century) German POWs in their various uniforms at Camp Shelby. Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century) Prisoners marching through Camp Shelby. Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

Herbert Myers, a Military Police officer from North Carolina, stands at the entrance to Camp Clinton during World War 2

On the home front during the war, items were rationed, citizens had curfews and people had to do without. People moving in and out of the state brought new ideas to the area. Women began to play a larger role in the workforce to replace the men who were off at war. Military pay and benefits and wartime prosperity doubled the state’s average income between 1941 and 1945. By 1945 the state was modernizing and changing, but segregation was still a major issue to be overcome.  

Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)

War bond poster in Jackson

Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century) Women welders at Ingall’s Shipyard - 1943 Chp 7 and 8 (The Dawn of the 20th Century)