Chapter 8 Summary

In the early 1900s, demand for cotton surges. The Delta region is able to supply a great amount of cotton, limited only by available manpower to cultivate and harvest crops. The role of U.S. cotton laborer is traditionally filled by blacks. LeRoy Percy feels that an alternative labor source would be preferable for the Delta. Percy wants white workers, but he will not consider the poor white workers from surrounding areas, since he considers them inferior and believes their presence would exacerbate racial tension.

Instead, Percy joins with other local growers to attempt to import white European laborers. Percy focuses his attention on Italian workers. In the same period of time, Percy makes the acquaintance of President Theodore Roosevelt. They meet on a hunt (incidentally, the same hunt that gives rise to the 'Teddy's Bear' toy), and thereafter Percy frequently dines at...