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A.S.C.S. - Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service

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@ Mississippi Department of Archives and History

Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission

Description

Records collected by the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission between 1964 and 1967 on the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS). The ASCS, an agency in the United States Department of Agriculture, administered farm programs and allocated federal crop quotas through a county committee system. Although all farmers and sharecroppers regardless of race were eligible to vote for ASCS committee members, until 1964 all committee members in the Deep South were white men. Before the 1964 election in Mississippi, the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO) began organizing African Americans in twelve counties. At the request of Mississippi State Senator George Yarbrough, Sovereignty Commission investigator Tom Scarbrough led an investigation into COFO efforts to influence the ASCS election in Benton County. In 1965, African Americans in Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana ran for committee appointements, assisted by the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. Although reports of voting irregularities and intimidation were widespread, 75 of the 142 African Americans in Mississippi who ran for committee appointments were elected. New York Democratic congressman Joseph Resnick, chair of the House Agriculture Commitee, observed the election in four Mississippi counties and spoke to the press about his experiences. The file contains publicity materials from the Mississippi Democratic Freedom Party describing the work of the ASCS and encouraging African American involvement in the election. It also contains newspaper reports about the election and Representative Resnick's visit to the state. Finally, the file contains a newspaper report from 1967 of an African American young...

Record Contributed By

Mississippi Department of Archives and History

Record Harvested From

Digital Library of Georgia