LeRoy Percy

Percy ran both his law practice and plantations with a vengeance, and by the early 1900s he controlled plantations exceeding 20,000 acres. 

Will Percy

Will Percy attended Harvard Law School and returned home to practice law in the family's firm in Greenville, Mississippi as was expected of him.

James K. Vardaman

Elected Governor of Mississippi in 1903, James K. Vardaman rode to power on a wave of white populism and racist politics.

Robert Moton's Second Report

The Colored Advisory Commission's second report revealed that the government relief effort had made little progress in helping African Americans in the flooded areas.

Greenville, Mississippi Rejects the Ku Klux Klan

Mississippi was a hostile place for African Americans in the first part of the 20th century. 

The Mississippi River Commission and the Army Corps of Engineers

In 1879 Congress created the Mississippi River Commission to oversee federal funds for flood control. 

Sharecropper Migration

At its inception, sharecropping in the Delta held the promise of a decent standard of living and independence. 

Robert Moton and the Colored Advisory Commission

Delta Blues Music

As the flood waters rose, many blues artists were inspired to write songs about the disaster and describe the experience of being in a flood.

Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple: Trailer

In 1978 over 900 people died in the largest mass murder-suicide in history.

Jim Jones

Jim Jones attracted a large following to his Peoples Temple through sermons on tolerance, social responsibility and community. 

Leo Joseph Ryan

In 1972 Leo Ryan was elected to the United States Congress from California’s 11th District. He continued his flamboyant methods, lying down on the ice between fur hunters and baby harp seals on a fact-finding mission to Newfoundland.