World War II and the Clash Between Deep South Farmers and Politicians

The following series of letters from the ’40s, not always in concert, from farmers, politicians, and war personnel, shows that World War II was fought in other ways on American soil by the very hands that tilled it.

Of course it was not a war of casualties, but a war of words, of politics, of wills. In the end, the farmers, through their persistence and craft, won the struggle. It was a loss the American government would likely admit to relishing; the loss of harvests such as sugarcane would have had disastrous effects on the economy.

Scroll down and you’ll see that this isn’t just any website pictured and linked. Omeka is a web publishing platform for sharing digital collections and creating media-rich online exhibits. The collection here is the source for my recent articles on World War II and the little known POW program across the Atlantic Ocean from Europe and all the way right down here to Louisiana.

Click on the following image to explore a fascinating back and forth between Louisiana’s politicians and the farmers who were smart enough to continue pushing for labor and for the economy.