William Bearden - Cotton - From Southern Fields to the Memphis Market

In the barbeque joints and plate lunch cafes off MemphisÂ’s Front Street, one is easily reminded of the days when cotton was king, of a society of characters and cads; the big time and the small time; the rich and the richer; the hangers-on, anointed, powerful, and busted. Cotton created empires in agriculture, transportation, banking, and warehousing. It also shackled the dreams and lives of those born into slavery and sharecropping. Although many of the day-to-day dealings have moved to manicured office parks and high-rise buildings, cottonÂ’s influence still remains at the core of the Southern economy and Southern society.