The Downside to Mississippi Essay

To begin, in Mississippi Masala, the concept of colorism and power dynamics was so beautifully captured through such subtlety like the job differences where South Asians were able to operate motels and liquor stores, while African-Americans worked lower-skill and lower-paying

In this paper I will inform you with a few of these events and topics such as the Civil war, slavery, as well as facts of the state. I hope my readers walk away with a new respect and outlook of Mississippi and learn how the past can affect the future, as well as the beauty.

Mississippi Burning is a gruesome reminder of some of the pain and hardship that African Americans in the South dealt with because of their skin color. If your skin color was anything other than white, then you were classified as dirty, impure, ugly, and all the degrading names you can find. Having colored skin subjected you to racism and hate crimes as portrayed by the sheriffs and the Ku Klux Klan’s in the movie.

A number of states experienced decades of Black population decline, especially across the deep South known as the “Black Belt” where cotton had been king identifier. In 1920 however a large percentage of the African American population was concentrated in Chicago, Detroit, New York, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. By 1910 African Americans constituted more that half the population of South Carolina and Mississippi and more than 40 percent in Georgia, Alabama, and Louisiana by 1970. Mississippi was the only state that maintained an African American representation above 30 percent. Today, the effects of the Great Migration can be seen in the Music we hear, the food we eat, and even the look and feel of cities throughout the

Being poor is hazardous to one's health. As seen in class, the conditions that are found in poor neighborhoods cause the poor to die earlier and have much less healthy lives than their more wealthy counterparts in better neighborhoods and the suburbs. The poor who are mostly of color are segregated by income into these areas where poverty, toxic waste, pollution and crime make their lives miserable indeed.

Mississippi History has become the state its now because of many events, government actions, cultural changes, and writers. Indian Act Removal Act, 13th Amendment, and Reverend George Lee played a big impact Mississippi current status. The Removals of Indians increased the Europeans power and lessened the Indian population. The 13th Amendment abolished slavery. Reverend George Lee was shot down for urging blacks to vote. All these contributed to Mississippi History.

Mississippi’s Civil War: A Narrative History begins by providing the account of the Nullification Crisis that took place in 1832. The crisis began as a dispute between the state of South Carolina and the federal government over a series of national tariffs that many of the southerners viewed as excessive. (6) The leader of the nullification movement in Mississippi was John Anthony Quitman. Quitman died in 1859 and the Mississippi finally left the Union in 1861. (8) As a result of the Nullification crisis, the Mexican War took place. Many Mississippians volunteered to fight with much enthusiasm. After nearly two years of war, America won. (11) From 1840-1860 Mississippi’s population doubled to almost 800,000 residents and by 1860 Mississippi’s institutions were hopelessly entangled in the web of slavery. The cotton based agriculture increased the need for slaves and by the eve of the Civil War slaves represented 55 percent of the state’s total population. (12) Mississippi’s ordinance of secession officially took them out of the union in 1861 leading up to the Civil War. (32)

Although I wasn’t in Mississippi during the ‘Freedom Summer’, I had a solid understanding of how life was during the ‘Freedom Summer’. This was years of racism and segregation towards the blacks in the US during the Civil Rights Movement. My aspect type was racism, and I learned of its impact on life through our analysis in the class of The Color Purple (1982) by Alice Walker, an epistolary novel about the lives of black people in rural dominated white racist Georgia during the 1920’s-50’s. Furthermore, we discussed Nelson Mandela’s Inaugural Speech in class, and how Mandela fought for Independence from the white racist government. With extra research of the Freedom Summer project launched by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating

Although the majority American population had good income, about 33 million lived in poverty. Two-thirds of them were white. The majority of the poor lived in rural areas. Most of the

In the summer of 1993 the United States were faced with the most devastating flood that has ever occurred. Seventeen thousand square miles of land were covered by floodwaters in a region covering all or parts of nine states (North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois). All large Midwestern streams flooded including the Mississippi, Missouri, and Kansas, Illinois, Des Moines and Wisconsin rivers. The Mississippi river was above flood stage for 144 days between April and September and approximately 3 billion cubic meters of water overflowed from the river channel onto the floodplain downstream from St. Louis.

Mississippi history is a sad history of slavery and oppression. It is a history of racism and refusal to let go of segregationist ideals. Mississippi history is enough to give many the blues. In fact, the Blues style music originated in Mississippi and gravitated outward from there. .Mississippi history and Blues history are intertwined. Delta Blues is a blues style that originated in the Mississippi Delta and influenced many musicians. Another musical art form, Jazz may be considered an offspring from the Blues and also started in the South. There are many Blues musicians and singers that come from Mississippi or have become linked to Mississippi for various reasons. Bessie Smith, Charley Patton, Muddy Waters, and Cassandra Wilson have

Some states lack opportunities to their citizens like education, health, jobs and other various forms of opportunities that characterizes such states as poor states. Though American refer to them selves as meddle class as discussed in the class, there are many below whose earnings are so little for the daily life and they are still bellow the poverty line. This did not sound reality to me when I first hard of poverty in America

Mississippi Burning (1988) is a historical drama that takes place in Jessup County, Mississippi and is based on the FBI’s investigation into the murders of three civil rights workers in Mississippi that took place on the night of June 21st, 1964. James Early Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner were working with the “Freedom Summer” hoping to get African Americans in Mississippi registered to vote. In the film, the FBI sends two men, Rupert Anderson and Alan Ward to investigate the disappearance of the three civil rights workers. As they try to interview the locals to try to determine what happened, they find it difficult to work around the local law enforcement that has ties to the Ku Klux Klan. The wife of Deputy Sherriff Pell informs Anderson that the men have been murdered, and their buried bodies are later discovered. Anderson and Ward plan to prosecute KKK members for the murders, which includes kidnapping the mayor, who is brought to a shack and interrogated. He eventually gives details of the murders, including names of the murderers, but his statement will not hold up in court.

Are all Americans grateful for the things they have? What if Americans do not to have the proper basic needs? Many Americans do face this situation and it is called poverty. The top three causes of poverty in United States are lack of education, unemployment and the high cost of health insurance. Americans can overcome the high rate of poverty and alleviate their struggles by maintaining and furthering their education which will lead to higher paying jobs and with good medical benefits.

Mississippi, a state that is one of the poorest in our country. The definition of poor in this state, and in other states, is a huge difference. In Mississippi, there’s not much education, there’s not much health, there’s not much of anything that would help solve these problems. No health care, not many utilities to solve the issue of poverty. Some have even gone as far as to compare the poverty in Mississippi to the poverty in some third world countries today. Despite many thoughts and beliefs that the great country, the United States of America, is a country of power and wealth, the USA has an alarming amount of people with food insecurity and in poverty. Especially in the South, in particular Mississippi. Almost 1 in every five people lives in poverty, and “for a household of two adults under the age of 65, the 2007 poverty threshold was $13,884.” (US Census) Once poverty starts, there’s no way out. The children growing up will not complete school, will get assistance from the government, and will have bad health. Some might get into trouble trying to help out their families, maybe get arrested for stealing. Another problem with states in poverty is teenage pregnancy. The question is, how did poverty start in Mississippi, and how can it end?