Although slavery had been abolished, and the Fourteenth Amendment had already been ratified, living in the South, as well as America in general, in 1887 was not particularly safe or secure for African Americans. That’s why Isaiah T. Montgomery created Mound Bayou, an economical blessing and a safe haven for African Americans on the Mississippi Delta. When people began to settle there, it was a lot of work for them to get the land in shape to use, but once they did their cotton plantations were thriving, and they managed to become an almost entirely self reliant community.
In 1890, however, Montgomery was forced to go against his own moral while voting in the Mississippi Constitutional Convention when he had to vote for a bill that would make it legal to take away rights from African Americans, but if he didn’t do that he may have ended up hurting his own community, which he valued more than anything else, it seemed, after putting so much work into creating a safe haven.
By 1942 Mound Bayou had almost everything a normal town would have, including a hospital, schools, and libraries. Mound Bayou was always trying to attract people to come to their town who were entrepreneurial, people that would be able to make a positive change in their town. The town was thriving, but something changed between then and now.
In 2014, a census found that there are less than 1500 residents of Mound Bayou, about half of what there were at it’s peak in the 1970s-80s. More than half of the children in the town in 2017 lived below the poverty line. There are just a few businesses, consisting of a funeral home, gas station, and a convenience store. The hospital has been closed, and overall people are trying to get out to move to places with more opportunities available, whereas, in Mound Bayou there is no longer much room for growth in many people’s eyes.
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I find it interesting how committed Montgomery was to protect Mound Bayou, which gives us some incite into the importance of having an African American safe haven and the struggles they were facing. It also helps explain why the community was so successful. I like that you included the comparison between then and now, I hadn't considered that aspect!
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine having to make the decision that Montgomery had to, but I understand why Montgomery ultimately chose to protect Mound Bayou as it was evident that African Americans needed a safe place to live in the South. It is also interesting that Montgomery's father, Ben Montgomery was able to buy a former plantation which also became a safe haven for former slaves. His son however, took it a step further establishing and actual town. Also I like how you included Mound Bayou today, it was a nice informative way to end the post.
ReplyDeletehttps://mississippiencyclopedia.org/entries/benjamin-thornton-montgomery/