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African Americans in Mississippi

February 15, 2024

African Americans in Mississippi or Black Mississippians are residents of the state of Mississippi who are of African American ancestry. As of the 2019 U.S. Census estimates, African Americans were 37.8% of the state's population which is the highest in the nation.[4]

African Americans in Mississippi
African American cotton plantation workers in Mississippi
Total population
1,149,341[1] (2017)
Regions with significant populations
Jackson metropolitan area, Mississippi Delta, rural majority Black counties throughout the state[2]
Languages
Southern American English, African-American Vernacular English, African American English
Religion
Historically Black Protestant[3]
Related ethnic groups
Other Black Southerners, white Mississippians
Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture in Natchez
African Americans in Mississippi
African-American Monument at Vicksburg National Military Park in Vicksburg, Mississippi

African Americans were brought to Mississippi for cotton production during the slave trade.[5]

History edit

See also: History of Mississippi

In 1718, French officials established rules to allow the importation of African slaves into the Biloxi area. By 1719, the first African slaves arrived. Most of those early enslaved people in Mississippi were Caribbean Creoles.[6]

The movement of importing black slaves to Mississippi peaked in the 1830s, when more than 100,000 black slaves may have entered Mississippi.[7] The largest slave market was located at the Forks of the Road in Natchez.[8]

As the demographer William H. Frey noted, "In Mississippi, I think it's [identifying as mixed race] changed from within."[9] Historically in Mississippi, after Indian removal in the 1830s, the major groups were designated as black (African American), who were then mostly enslaved, and white (primarily European American). Matthew Snipp, also a demographer, commented on the increase in the 21st century in the number of people identifying as being of more than one race: "In a sense, they're rendering a more accurate portrait of their racial heritage that in the past would have been suppressed."[9]

After having accounted for a majority of the state's population since well before the Civil War and through the 1930s, today African Americans constitute approximately 37 percent of the state's population. Some of these slaves were mixed race, with European ancestors, as there were many children born into slavery with white fathers. Some also have Native American ancestry.[10] During the first half of the 20th century, a total of nearly 400,000 African Americans left the state during the Great Migration, for opportunities in the North, Midwest and West. They became a minority in the state for the first time since early in its development.

Lynching edit

Main article: Lynching in the United States

The late 1800s and early 1900s in the Mississippi Delta showed both frontier influence and actions directed at repressing African Americans. After the Civil War, 90% of the Delta was still undeveloped.[11] Both whites and African Americans migrated there for a chance to buy land in the backcountry. It was frontier wilderness, heavily forested and without roads for years.[11] Before the start of the 20th century, lynchings often took the form of frontier justice directed at transient workers as well as residents.[11]

 
Body of a lynched black man, propped up in a rocking chair for a photograph, circa 1900. Paint has been applied to his face, circular disks glued to his cheeks, cotton glued to his face and head, while a rod props up the victim's head.

Whites accounted for just over 12 percent of the Delta region's population, but made up nearly 17 percent of lynching victims. So, in this region, they were lynched at a rate that was over 35 percent higher than their proportion in the population, primarily due to being accused of crimes against property (chiefly theft). Conversely, blacks were lynched at a rate, in the Delta, lesser than their proportion of the population. However, this was unlike the rest of the South, where blacks comprised the majority of lynching victims. In the Delta, they were most often accused of murder or attempted murder, in half the cases, and 15 percent of the time, they were accused of rape, meaning that another 15 percent of the time they were accused of a combination of rape and murder, or rape and attempted murder.[11]

A clear seasonal pattern to lynchings existed with colder months being the deadliest. As noted, cotton prices fell during the 1880s and 1890s, increasing economic pressures. "From September through December, the cotton was picked, debts were revealed, and profits (or losses) realized... Whether concluding old contracts or discussing new arrangements, [landlords and tenants] frequently came into conflict in these months and sometimes fell to blows."[11] During the winter, murder was most cited as a cause for lynching. After 1901, as economics shifted and more blacks became renters and sharecroppers in the Delta, with few exceptions, only African Americans were lynched. The frequency increased from 1901 to 1908 after African Americans were disfranchised. "In the twentieth century Delta vigilantism finally became predictably joined to white supremacy."[12]

Conclusions of numerous studies since the mid-20th century have found the following variables affecting the rate of lynchings in the South: "lynchings were more numerous where the African American population was relatively large, the agricultural economy was based predominantly on cotton, the white population was economically stressed, the Democratic Party was stronger, and multiple religious organizations competed for congregants."[13]

 
Emmett Till’s mother Mamie (middle) at her son’s funeral in 1955. He was killed by white men after a white woman accused him of offending her in her family's grocery store.

By the 1950s, the civil rights movement was gaining momentum. A 1955 lynching that sparked public outrage about injustice was that of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old boy from Chicago. Spending the summer with relatives in Money, Mississippi, Till was killed for allegedly having wolf-whistled at a white woman. Till had been badly beaten, one of his eyes was gouged out, and he was shot in the head. The visceral response to his mother's decision to have an open-casket funeral mobilized the black community throughout the U.S.[14] Vann R. Newkirk| wrote "the trial of his killers became a pageant illuminating the tyranny of white supremacy".[14] The state of Mississippi tried two defendants, but they were speedily acquitted by an all-white jury.[15]

Notable people edit

 
Oprah Winfrey

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Mississippi". blackdemographics.com.
  2. ^ "Mississippi".
  3. ^ "Religious Landscape Study".
  4. ^ . Quickfacts.census.gov. 2019. Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  5. ^ Antebellum Mississippi
  6. ^ Jewett, Clayton E.; Allen, John O. (2004). Slavery in the South: A State-by-state History. p. 157. ISBN 9780313320194.
  7. ^ Slavery and Settlement.
  8. ^ Slave Trade.
  9. ^ a b Susan Saulny, "Black and White and Married in the Deep South: A Shifting Image", The New York Times, March 20, 2011, accessed October 25, 2012
  10. ^ . Quickfacts.census.gov. Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved March 14, 2012.
  11. ^ a b c d e Willis 2000, pp. 154–155.
  12. ^ Willis 2000, p. 157.
  13. ^ Tolnay, Stewart (August 2012). . Sociological Methodology. 42 (1): 91–93. doi:10.1177/0081175012460855. S2CID 124313660. Archived from the original on January 11, 2016. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  14. ^ a b II, Vann R. Newkirk. "How 'The Blood of Emmett Till' Still Stains America Today". The Atlantic. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
  15. ^ Whitfield, Stephen (1991). A Death in the Delta: The story of Emmett Till. pp 41–42. JHU Press.

Sources edit

  • Willis, John C. (2000). Forgotten Time: The Yazoo-Mississippi Delta After the Civil War. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia. ISBN 0-8139-1971-1.

External links edit

  • Black Life on the Mississippi: Slaves, Free Blacks, and the Western Steamboat World
  • African American
  • Slave Trade
  • African-Americans in the Mississippi River Valley, 1851-1900
  • A Contested Presence: Free Black People in Antebellum Mississippi, 1820–1860
  • African Presence in Mississippi
 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to African Americans in Mississippi.

February 15, 2024
african, americans, mississippi, this, article, lead, section, short, adequately, summarize, points, please, consider, expanding, lead, provide, accessible, overview, important, aspects, article, july, 2022, black, mississippians, residents, state, mississippi. This article s lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article July 2022 African Americans in Mississippi or Black Mississippians are residents of the state of Mississippi who are of African American ancestry As of the 2019 U S Census estimates African Americans were 37 8 of the state s population which is the highest in the nation 4 African Americans in MississippiAfrican American cotton plantation workers in MississippiTotal population1 149 341 1 2017 Regions with significant populationsJackson metropolitan area Mississippi Delta rural majority Black counties throughout the state 2 LanguagesSouthern American English African American Vernacular English African American EnglishReligionHistorically Black Protestant 3 Related ethnic groupsOther Black Southerners white MississippiansNatchez Museum of African American History and Culture in NatchezAfrican Americans in MississippiAfrican American Monument at Vicksburg National Military Park in Vicksburg MississippiAfrican Americans were brought to Mississippi for cotton production during the slave trade 5 Contents 1 History 2 Lynching 3 Notable people 4 See also 5 References 6 Sources 7 External linksHistory editSee also History of Mississippi This section needs expansion You can help by adding to it October 2022 In 1718 French officials established rules to allow the importation of African slaves into the Biloxi area By 1719 the first African slaves arrived Most of those early enslaved people in Mississippi were Caribbean Creoles 6 The movement of importing black slaves to Mississippi peaked in the 1830s when more than 100 000 black slaves may have entered Mississippi 7 The largest slave market was located at the Forks of the Road in Natchez 8 As the demographer William H Frey noted In Mississippi I think it s identifying as mixed race changed from within 9 Historically in Mississippi after Indian removal in the 1830s the major groups were designated as black African American who were then mostly enslaved and white primarily European American Matthew Snipp also a demographer commented on the increase in the 21st century in the number of people identifying as being of more than one race In a sense they re rendering a more accurate portrait of their racial heritage that in the past would have been suppressed 9 After having accounted for a majority of the state s population since well before the Civil War and through the 1930s today African Americans constitute approximately 37 percent of the state s population Some of these slaves were mixed race with European ancestors as there were many children born into slavery with white fathers Some also have Native American ancestry 10 During the first half of the 20th century a total of nearly 400 000 African Americans left the state during the Great Migration for opportunities in the North Midwest and West They became a minority in the state for the first time since early in its development Lynching editMain article Lynching in the United States The late 1800s and early 1900s in the Mississippi Delta showed both frontier influence and actions directed at repressing African Americans After the Civil War 90 of the Delta was still undeveloped 11 Both whites and African Americans migrated there for a chance to buy land in the backcountry It was frontier wilderness heavily forested and without roads for years 11 Before the start of the 20th century lynchings often took the form of frontier justice directed at transient workers as well as residents 11 nbsp Body of a lynched black man propped up in a rocking chair for a photograph circa 1900 Paint has been applied to his face circular disks glued to his cheeks cotton glued to his face and head while a rod props up the victim s head Whites accounted for just over 12 percent of the Delta region s population but made up nearly 17 percent of lynching victims So in this region they were lynched at a rate that was over 35 percent higher than their proportion in the population primarily due to being accused of crimes against property chiefly theft Conversely blacks were lynched at a rate in the Delta lesser than their proportion of the population However this was unlike the rest of the South where blacks comprised the majority of lynching victims In the Delta they were most often accused of murder or attempted murder in half the cases and 15 percent of the time they were accused of rape meaning that another 15 percent of the time they were accused of a combination of rape and murder or rape and attempted murder 11 A clear seasonal pattern to lynchings existed with colder months being the deadliest As noted cotton prices fell during the 1880s and 1890s increasing economic pressures From September through December the cotton was picked debts were revealed and profits or losses realized Whether concluding old contracts or discussing new arrangements landlords and tenants frequently came into conflict in these months and sometimes fell to blows 11 During the winter murder was most cited as a cause for lynching After 1901 as economics shifted and more blacks became renters and sharecroppers in the Delta with few exceptions only African Americans were lynched The frequency increased from 1901 to 1908 after African Americans were disfranchised In the twentieth century Delta vigilantism finally became predictably joined to white supremacy 12 Conclusions of numerous studies since the mid 20th century have found the following variables affecting the rate of lynchings in the South lynchings were more numerous where the African American population was relatively large the agricultural economy was based predominantly on cotton the white population was economically stressed the Democratic Party was stronger and multiple religious organizations competed for congregants 13 nbsp Emmett Till s mother Mamie middle at her son s funeral in 1955 He was killed by white men after a white woman accused him of offending her in her family s grocery store By the 1950s the civil rights movement was gaining momentum A 1955 lynching that sparked public outrage about injustice was that of Emmett Till a 14 year old boy from Chicago Spending the summer with relatives in Money Mississippi Till was killed for allegedly having wolf whistled at a white woman Till had been badly beaten one of his eyes was gouged out and he was shot in the head The visceral response to his mother s decision to have an open casket funeral mobilized the black community throughout the U S 14 Vann R Newkirk wrote the trial of his killers became a pageant illuminating the tyranny of white supremacy 14 The state of Mississippi tried two defendants but they were speedily acquitted by an all white jury 15 Notable people editThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources African Americans in Mississippi news newspapers books scholar JSTOR October 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message nbsp Oprah WinfreyMae Bertha Carter Figure of the Civil Rights Movement Aunjanue Ellis Actress Fannie Lou Hamer Figure of the Civil Rights Movement John M Perkins Figure of the Civil Rights Movement B B King Musician Morgan Freeman Actor Oprah Winfrey Television personality actress producer Jerry Rice NFL Football Player with the San Francisco 49ers Walter Payton NFL Football Player with the Chicago Bears Brandy Norwood Singer actress Jerome Barkum NFL Football Player with the New York Jets Lester Young Musician Tenor Saxophone Muddy Waters Musician Howlin Wolf Musician Elmore James Musician Swae Lee Musician Karlous Miller Comedian James Earl Jones Actor Ray J Singer TV Personality singer Sam Cooke Singer Robert Johnson Musician Ruby Bridges Activist Medgar Evers Activist Ida B Wells Activist Big K R I T Rapper Cassi Davis Actress Shelby McEwen Athlete Frederick O Neal Actor Beah Richards Actress David Banner Musician Rick Ross Musician Soulja Boy MusicianSee also edit nbsp Mississippi portalEducation segregation in the Mississippi Delta History of slavery in Mississippi Mississippi in Africa Mississippi Masala Black Southerners Demographics of Mississippi List of plantations in Mississippi List of African American historic places in Mississippi List of African American newspapers in Mississippi Vietnamese in Mississippi History of Italians in Mississippi African Americans in Alabama African Americans in Tennessee African Americans in LouisianaReferences edit Mississippi blackdemographics com Mississippi Religious Landscape Study Mississippi QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau Quickfacts census gov 2019 Archived from the original on March 14 2012 Retrieved June 22 2020 Antebellum Mississippi Jewett Clayton E Allen John O 2004 Slavery in the South A State by state History p 157 ISBN 9780313320194 Slavery and Settlement Slave Trade a b Susan Saulny Black and White and Married in the Deep South A Shifting Image The New York Times March 20 2011 accessed October 25 2012 Mississippi QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau Quickfacts census gov Archived from the original on March 14 2012 Retrieved March 14 2012 a b c d e Willis 2000 pp 154 155 Willis 2000 p 157 Tolnay Stewart August 2012 Quantitative Narrative Analysis What It Can and Cannot Tell Us About Lynching Sociological Methodology 42 1 91 93 doi 10 1177 0081175012460855 S2CID 124313660 Archived from the original on January 11 2016 Retrieved January 30 2015 a b II Vann R Newkirk How The Blood of Emmett Till Still Stains America Today The Atlantic Retrieved July 29 2017 Whitfield Stephen 1991 A Death in the Delta The story of Emmett Till pp 41 42 JHU Press Sources editWillis John C 2000 Forgotten Time The Yazoo Mississippi Delta After the Civil War Charlottesville University Press of Virginia ISBN 0 8139 1971 1 External links editBlack Life on the Mississippi Slaves Free Blacks and the Western Steamboat World Black History in Mississippi African American Slave Trade African Americans in the Mississippi River Valley 1851 1900 A Contested Presence Free Black People in Antebellum Mississippi 1820 1860 African Presence in Mississippi nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to African Americans in Mississippi Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title African Americans in Mississippi amp oldid 1191661124, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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