Mississippi Plan: Shotgun Policy Destroys Black Voting

Mississippi Democrats developed the 'Mississippi Plan' or 'Shotgun Policy' in 1875: armed white men would disrupt Republican meetings, murder or drive off Black leaders, and position armed riders near polling places on election day. The strategy reduced Black voter turnout from over 80 percent to single digits in targeted counties. A U.S. Senate investigation documented the intimidation, but Grant declined to send troops. Democrats won Mississippi and took a model they exported to South Carolina