Adopting a new state constitution was required for Confederate states to rejoin the Union. The required majority of registered voters passed the referendum for a constitutional convention. Black freedmen voted in large numbers. Most Mississippi newspapers, sympathetic to White conservatives, painted the convention in scathing language, calling the convention, "the Jackson Monstrosity" and other racially-charged names.
Pictured:
A black and white photograph. In the background stand the Old Capitol, with the side of the building and the domed roof most visible. In the foreground, two horses pull a wood wagon on a dirt road. One man in a white shirt and hat sits in the wagon, and two men stand to the right of it. The man on the left is wearing a light shirt and dark pants. The man on the right wears a dark jacket and light pants.
Credit:
MDAH Photograph Collections