Huey P. Long's Effect




    One of the governors featured the most in the museum is the infamous Huey Long. In the exhibit shown above, audio of Long speaking plays and the shadow behind the statue moves and gestures to make it seem as if he is in the room with the audience. Huey Long’s exhibit is meant to persuade viewers that he was an extremely important person in Louisiana history by appealing to logos. His exhibit is separate from and larger than all of the others, so it is logical to conclude that he was significant in some way. He is also the only governor who has a full-body statue on display. Long was elected in 1928. He was almost impeached on charges of misuse of government funds and bribery in 1929.  He is also the reason that the new state capitol building was built in 1932. Huey Long is considered to be a controversial figure for many different reasons. One of the most notable ones is his increased taxation on the rich. His populist beliefs and policies made him popular with the poorer communities in Louisiana and made him loathed by the rich communities. 

But Long was also known for attempting to concentrate power around the executive office and planting people who shared his ideas and values in positions of power. This abuse of power is still a common issue today. It does not solely exist in politics, and it is far too common for someone in a position of power to appoint people who will do whatever they say. This can lead to someone who is not qualified to be given an important position because they will do whatever their superior says, whether it is morally right or wrong, to keep their high status. When this happens in politics, it has the potential to be even more problematic. In a democracy, denying citizens the right to vote for their representatives can lead to the amount of one political party in power being lopsided. If political figures do not represent the current viewpoints of the majority, then many of the laws that are passed will be extremely unpopular and cause controversy and unrest. Unfortunately, shady dealings in politics have been around for centuries and are not likely to be eradicated anytime soon. 

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