Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power
originally aired on Peacock
Lowndes County was formed from Montgomery, Dallas and Butler counties, by an act of the Alabama General Assembly on January 20, 1830. It is part of the Black Belt, known for its fertile soil, cotton plantations, and a high number of African American workers, enslaved and later freed. During the Reconstruction era, blacks were elected to local and state offices. White Democrats regained power and control of the state legislature in 1874. They adopted the 1875 Constitution of Alabama and another in 1901 that disenfranchised most blacks and many poor whites. By 1960, the population had declined to about 15,000 residents and was about 80 percent-majority black.