Mississippi Between the Wars
1920-1940
Women’s Rights
• America was the world’s greatest democracy
however, our Constitution did not allow women
to vote
• Women’s suffrage movement: Led by women
such as Ida B. Wells to fight for women’s right to
vote
• Finally came to a head with the passing of the
19th Amendment in 1920
– Extends the franchise (right to vote) to women
• This truly changes politics!
1. World War I had brought
prosperity back to MS
because cotton prices rose.
2. After the war, cotton prices
dropped again and MS
farmers began to struggle –
only the Delta planters
continued to thrive.
3. Dairy farms began
developing in some areas of
the state.
4. Canneries were opened in
some areas – factories that
can food products.
5. The lumber industry later
returned because of
governor Whitfield’s
reforestation program.
MS’s Economic
Development
Real Estate
1. The biggest boom industry of the 1920’s in MS was real
estate.
2. Many northerners began moving south to escape the
north’s harsh winters.
3. This led to a great deal of investment in MS’s Gulf Coast
area.
The Great Migration
• Thousands of African Americans moved North
in search of jobs
• Labor shortages during the war in cities like
Chicago
• If you could afford a train ticket you could “get
out”
• Chicago Defender, a militant black newspaper,
encouraged the migration by saying Chicago
was the promised land for African Americans
How many migrated????
•
•
•
•
1910-1920: 150,000
1930s: Very slow migration due to Depression
1920-1940: 150,000
1940s alone: Over 300,000!
How Migration affected MS
• Caused a labor shortage
• Whites used force and threats
to keep blacks from leaving
– Police entered trains and
forced blacks to get off
– Blacks were arrested if they
were seen buying a train
ticket
• Blacks however used the
threat of migrating to better
their lives.. Get things they
want if they stay
• Black doctors, lawyers, and newspaper editors
left Mississippi and caused black middle class
to decrease
• The gap between whites and blacks grew
larger as a result
• By WWII, most blacks had been forced to work
as field hands, domestic servants, or manual
laborers
Theodore Bilbo
“The Man”
• 1907 elected to the Senate
• 1911 becomes Lt. Governor
• 1915 becomes Governor
– Balances the state budget
– Worked to modernize the school system
– State Highway Dept.
• 1928 Re-elected as Governor
– Tries to consolidate MSU and Ole Miss into one college at
Jackson…. Clearly not successful
• 1934,1940, and 1946 Elected as U.S. Senator
– Opposed Civil Rights Bills, antilynching laws, and fair
employment practices
Scandal, Fighting, and Controversy
• 1908-Bilbo is accused of accepting bribes and was
almost expelled from the state Senate
• Race for Lt. Gov- Assaulted one of his opponents
for making derogatory remarks against him and
takes a swing at opponent Washington Gibbs
after being hit in the head with a walking stick of
Gibbs
• 1946- Scandal involving work done on his
mansion for free by government contractors
(illegal)
– Dies before he is ever convicted
Governors election
of 1924
• Candidates: Henry Whitfield, Theodore Bilbo, Lee
Russell (incumbent)
• Women could vote in primary now due to 19th
amendment (ratified in 1920!)
• Whitfield had the edge in the election
– Russell was involved in a scandalous court case
– Bilbo was actually jailed for contempt of court because he
refused to testify in court
– Bilbo chooses to announce from jail that he is running for
governor
• Whitfield promised to not embarrass the people of MS
• Whitfield wins
Governor of the People
• Blacks made up over half of the population
• “If they did not prosper, the state does not
prosper”
• Enforced laws that protected the blacks
• Fewer lynching's because he expected proper
legal procedures
• He actually visited black schools
• Insisted on strict segregation yet heard requests
from blacks
• Whitfield died in 1927
Bilbo Returns
• 1927 Election
• He promised free textbooks and said the state
needs a factory to make them (better
education and jobs!)
• Wanted a road program for the state
• Bilbo wins
• Supported reforms to improve quality of life
for poor white farmers
• Legislature (mostly democrats)
ignored Bilbo
• Wanted to modernize and improve
higher education
• Bilbo tried to consolidate
Mississippi A & M, University of
Mississippi, and Mississippi
Southern College and move them
to Jackson for one large university
• Did not work and eventually
colleges got renamed to
Mississippi State University, TSUN,
University of Southern Mississippi
• Also created Jackson State
University and Delta State
University
Junior College System
• Agricultural schools were dying out (boarding high
schools)
• Schools were getting more funding and schools were
consolidating
• 1922- Agricultural schools become junior colleges (first
two years)
• $50 a semester; $16 room and board
– Today room and board estimates $1000 and $2100 a
semester
• Gave average Mississippians an opportunity to better
themselves
• 1939-1940: 4,000 students attended junior colleges