The History of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party

Most black people in America voted Democrat. But this should not lead people to believe that the Democratic Party at the time embraced black people as like equal comrades. Some state Democratic parties, including the one in Mississippi banned black people from membership. Members of that state's Democratic Party regularly beat and even murdered black people who tried to register to vote. Johnson played a profoundly cynical and gross game of political brinksmanship with the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party.