That time in Alabama at the turn of the century was difficult. There were 300,000 registered Black voters. But the aristocracy (and my family were part of it) didn't much like competition. There was money there...in pockets. Mobile was a major port; Birmingham a major steel producer; the Black Belt was still incredibly rich agricultural era. Auburn University was still an illiterate and cultural desert (unchanged to this day).
Along with the free silver movement and William Jennings Bryan, politicians began to go populist in a state with a lot of share croppers, tar paper shacks, "strawberry-pickers." The devastation of the War was still lying heavy on the State. Politicians began competing for the Black vote. This scared the establishment and the populist opposition so much that they decided to eliminate this sector of the electorate and by 1903 there were only 3,000 registered Black voters. History is not always a shining beacon.
Last edited by Argo44; 03/25/20 11:47 PM.
