MFDP--The Sunflower County Project report, 1964-1965 (Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party records, 1962-1971; Historical Society Library Microforms Room, Micro 788, Reel 3, Segment 9)

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@ Wisconsin Historical Society

Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party

Description

This short three-part report entitled "The Sunflower County Project, 1964-1965" is outstanding. Its three parts consist of a demographic report on the county, a history of the civil rights movement in the county, and an outline of plans for the county for late 1964-1965. Among other things, the demographic report provides an excellent description of sharecropper and day laborers' working conditions and wages in the Delta, accurately depicting African Americans there as being "outside the money economy," yet showing the strong economic connection between whites and blacks. The demographic report also indicates that, in an area known for poverty and malnutrition, the county had the ability to grow more than enough food for its inhabitants, yet chose to grow cotton and to import food. It also describes the close connection between the white Citizens Council and law enforcement agencies and the various means used to terrorize African Americans into staying "in their place." The history of

Format:

Reports And Surveys Maps

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