Every Man A King: Huey Long, the Kingfish of Louisiana

The rich and powerful of New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana filled the air with swinging jazz music, stuffed their faces with food, and drank their weight in champaign. Meanwhile, citizens living on the Bayou, the swamps, and the Northern plains were struggling to survive. These people were ignored by the elite, who they were unable to vote out due to a combination of racial voting laws, and an expensive poll tax. Louisiana was already the poorest state in the union, and they were sinking deeper and deeper with the onset of the Great Depression.

One of their own would rise out of the impoverished Winn Parish, and march into Baton Rouge. This man was not afraid to make enemies, and his booming voice echoed throughout the state. No person was too powerful to scare him into submission, and all who tried deeply regretted crossing him. Huey Long aimed to speak for the common people, to end poverty once and for all. However, its his methods he used to complete his promises which made him known as the dictator of Louisiana.

 

Music:

Every Man a King by the Louisiana Ramblers (written by Huey Long)

Jambalaya (On the Bayou) by Hank Williams