after the civil war, one of the interesting stories deals with john roy lynch who was a former slave who earned his freedom. he was a member of the mississippi house of representatives and eventually becoming the first black speaker of the house of representatives. he spoke in this very room. he went on to become a u.s. representative. one of the biggest rags to riches stories that we like to talk about. this room has seen a dramatic change in looks throughout the years. from the beginnings of 1839 to the end of the civil war, this room would have been dominated by white men. after the civil war, african americans were able to take part in the political process and did that for the next 10, 15 years. unfortunate, mississippi went through the redemption process where the white democratic party gained control and removed black officer holders and prevented them from voting. for the next 100 years almost, whites re-dominated the legislature and the political process and that was not overturned into the civil rights movement. hurricane katrina was a dramatic event in the history of the o