Sovereign Scarecrow - Billy Morrow Jackson, Civil Rights,Political Poster, 1964

Description

These posters make me sad, but wer cannot forget the past...we do need to move forward...these posters deserve to be properly displayed in a special spot. The 1960's were turbulent times. Civil Rights Movements were a major turning point in our history.
I borrowed and copied the following discription form "Kneal" magizine August 2018 for your history lesson.
Sovereign Scarecrow
Compared to the other prints, at first glance, the
“Sovereign Scarecrow”
is relatively simple. It is centred on a scarecrow. The scarecrow is vested with the confederate flag and covered by numerous crows. The face belongs to Ross Barnett the former governor of Mississippi. There is a question regarding print effectiveness as a scarecrow. It appears that rather than scaring the birds, he is serving as a roost for them. It could be that we are missing the point. He may not be in place to scare the birds. Rather is he there to scare the Blacks?
There is also a nest in his top hat with eggs. Today’s crows will be replaced by a new generation. In perpetuity? It was Ross Barnett, who attempted to prevent the entry of James Meredith into the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss), but was ineffective. Barnett is seen to be as the
“straw man”
in real life, as he is portrayed in this image.
One of Barnett’s arguments in support of his segregationist views was states’ rights. The governor believed that the States rights doctrine gave the State of Mississippi sovereignty over its institutions and allowed it to
“interpose and nullify”
federal statutes, effectively letting state laws supersede federal laws. This argument has been adjudicated in many venues and was found not to credible or constitutional.
One of the most heinous acts of savagery against the Civil Rights campaign was the murders of Schwerner, Goodman, and Chaney. They were northern students who journeyed south to aid in the voting rights campaign. They were abducted, tortured, mutilated, and ultimately killed by a combination of law enforcement officials, Klansmen, and Klan sympathisers. Their bodies were buried in an earthen dam on the property of one of the perpetrators. It was several months before the bodies were discovered. This incident was immortalized in popular culture in Don McLean’s epic song —
“American Pie.”
These murders occurred in Philadelphia, Mississippi. The site would become infamous, even more so, as the place where Ronald Reagan launched his bid for the presidency. This is an example of
“nod, nod, wink, wink”
letting the south know that Reagan was on their side and represented a continuation of Nixon’s southern strategy. (Hardly Coincidental!!)
Sovereign Triangle is part of a series of 8 posters on the Civil Rights Movement by Billy Morrow Jackson.
Attached is and article about the artist.
I have the entire series in the original tube .
The poster has been stored in a tube, dated Nov16,1965 mailed to St Louis FOSNCC. (St Louis Friends of Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee)