African Americans picking cotton, Georgia, 1907. Courtesy: Library of Congress

African Americans picking cotton, Georgia, 1907. Courtesy: Library of Congress

Slavery in the Missippi Delta

This photo shows a group of workers picking cotton on a seemingly endless cotton field. A notable aspect of this picture would be the wide age range of workers. The picture shows children and adults picking cotton. Interestingly enough, no visible men are working in this field, so this leads me to believe that the men are elsewhere doing more physically demanding work. This photo is significant because it accurately depicts the cruel lifestyle endured by these workers, of various ages, which can be seen by their clothes and miserable facial expressions.

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/emmett-sharecropping mississippi/#:~:text=The%20Delta%20plantation%20system%20started,the%20Mississippi%20River%20with%20levees.

1907

David Allen