▁ 1 9 5 0 , ▁Le fl ore ▁County ▁had ▁ 4 8 ▁documented ▁l yn ch ings ▁of ▁African ▁Americans , ▁by ▁far ▁the ▁highest ▁number ▁in ▁the ▁state . ▁Most ▁occurred ▁around ▁the ▁turn ▁of ▁the ▁ 2 0 th ▁century , ▁as ▁part ▁of ▁white ▁im position ▁of ▁Jim ▁Crow ▁conditions ▁and ▁supp ression ▁of ▁black ▁voting . ▁Mississippi ▁is ▁the ▁state ▁in ▁the ▁South ▁( and ▁in ▁the ▁nation ) ▁with ▁the ▁highest ▁number ▁of ▁l yn ch ings . ▁In ▁general , ▁they ▁were ▁a ▁means ▁of ▁white ▁terror ist ▁control ▁of ▁the ▁African - American ▁population . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 8 9 0 ▁the ▁state ▁legisl ature ▁passed ▁a ▁new ▁constitution ▁that ▁had ▁a ▁variety ▁of ▁devices ▁to ▁dis enf ranch ise ▁black s ; ▁they ▁developed ▁ways ▁around ▁court ▁cases ▁that ▁tried ▁to ▁dis m ant le ▁these , ▁and ▁kept ▁black s ▁ex cluded ▁from ▁the ▁political ▁system ▁and ▁ra cially ▁seg reg ated ▁into ▁the ▁ 1 9 6 0 s . ▁▁ 2 0 th ▁century ▁to ▁present ▁In ▁the ▁first ▁half ▁of ▁the ▁ 2 0 th ▁century , ▁many ▁black s ▁left ▁rural ▁count ies ▁such ▁as ▁Le fl ore , ▁in ▁the ▁Great ▁M igration ▁to ▁northern ▁and ▁mid western ▁industrial ▁cities ▁in ▁search ▁of ▁jobs ▁and ▁education : ▁many ▁people ▁went ▁north ▁by ▁train ▁to ▁Chicago , ▁taking ▁their ▁music ▁with ▁them ▁and ▁changing ▁the ▁big ▁city ▁forever . ▁Many ▁more ▁people ▁left ▁Mississippi ▁from ▁ 1