james merideth

• James Meredith applied to the University of Mississippi

  January 1961
• If Meredith had been accepted, he would have been the first black student to attend the university
• Even though Meredith met the entry criteria, the university refused to accept him
• The Supreme Court ordered the university to admit Meredith

  June 1962
• Under pressure from the state governor, Mississippi passed a law saying that no one with a criminal record could attend the university
• Meredith had once been convicted of false voter registration (a charge commonly brought to intimidate black voters) and so he was excluded
• Meredith's start date at the university was set

  September 1962
• The governor of Mississippi publicly declared that he would prevent any black person from attempting to enrol at the university
• Protests and violence followed at the university
• To defend Meredith, President Kennedy sent 500 US marshals
• When the two sides clashed, there was a serious fight and two men died
• After this, the president sent in many more troops and Meredith was able to enrol
• During his time at the university, hundreds of US marshals stayed to protect him
• As a result, other states began to accept that school segregation had to end and that they could not stop its desegregation