Lecture Notes: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927

Overview

• The Mississippi River: A vast river system across the US.
  • Asset and liability due to flooding.
• Spring 1927: The river floods, causing the greatest flood in American history.
  • Affects nearly 1 million people.

Societal Impact

• Exposes racial and social inequalities.
• Planters exploit black sharecroppers.
• Disparity between rich and poor becomes evident.

Timeline of Events

August 1926

• Mississippi Valley experiences 200% more rainfall.

January 1927

• Mississippi River reaches flood stage at Cairo, Illinois.
• River crest moves downstream.

April 1927

• Storms dump record-breaking rain.
• April 15: Torrential rain increases flooding.
• April 21: Levee collapses at Mound Landing, killing hundreds.

Greenville, Mississippi

• Greenville threatened by floodwaters.
• Residents forced to evacuate or seek higher ground.

Racial Disparities

• Black sharecroppers exploited by planters; forced to work on levees without pay.
• Sharecroppers subjected to Jim Crow laws.
• Greenville camp setup with racial discrimination in aid distribution.

Relief Efforts

• Herbert Hoover oversees federal relief efforts.
• Coast Guard and Navy conduct rescue operations.
• Displaced blacks forced to provide labor for aid.

Political and Economic Ramifications

• New Orleans elite flood St. Bernard and Plaquemines Parishes to save the city.
• Reparations promise broken, poor whites suffer.
• Federal relief efforts change public sentiment about government responsibility.

Long-Term Effects

• Shift in African American political allegiance from Republicans to Democrats.
• Inspired changes in flood control legislation (Flood Control Act of 1928).
• Strengthened levee systems and flood management practices.

Conclusion

• The flood exposed societal inequalities and reshaped flood management policies.
• It highlighted the need to accommodate large rivers rather than control them.