James Meredith
"I know the probable difficulties involved in such a move as I am undertaking and I am fully prepared to persue it all the way" (qtd. in The U.S. Marshals) - James meredith on the pursuit to enroll at the university of mississippi
James Meredith was the first African American to enroll at
the University of Mississippi. James Meredith,
after some dissatisfaction with racism in the south, set a goal to enroll at
Ole Miss and applied for admission in 1962.
However, technicalities in the university's administration department allowed the university to deny him admission multiple times over the following months. After being denied admission, he wrote a letter to the then
head of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s
Legal
Defense Fund, Thurgood Marshall. Mississippi’s governor, Ross Barnett stated in response to Meredith's desire to enroll at Ole Miss: “[Mississippi] will not surrender to the evil and illegal forces of tyranny ... [and] no school will be integrated in Mississippi while I am your governor” (qtd. in The U.S. Marshals).
After Barnett's statement, the supreme court ruled that Meredith would be able to attend classes at Ole Miss. Barnett was not pleased with this ruling, and the role of seeing that Meredith was admitted to the university was left to the federal government, and president Kennedy sent officials to assist. The photo to the left shows Chief Marshal J.P. McShane (right), Assistant Attorney General John Doar (left) and Deputy Cecil Miller (in Background) escort James Meredith to classes at the University of Mississippi (The U.S. Marshals). Kennedy sent armed deputies to assist in registering Meredith for classes three times, but were stopped each time by state politicians and state troops. Eventually, Kennedy sent 127 deputies to ensure that Meredith was safely registered at the university. In addition to this, the U.S Government states: "McShane swore in over 300 U.S. Border Patrol agents...bringing the total number of federal law enforcement officers for this assignment to 538" (The U.S. Marshals). The students, reacting to Meredith's intent on registering for classes, had a violent confrontation with the federal deputies. 160 deputies left the confrontation with injuries, and for the following year federal deputies escorted Meredith everywhere on campus, 24 hours a day to ensure that "Meredith could attend the school of his choice" (The U.S. Marshals).
http://www.usmarshals.gov/history/miss/02.htm
After Barnett's statement, the supreme court ruled that Meredith would be able to attend classes at Ole Miss. Barnett was not pleased with this ruling, and the role of seeing that Meredith was admitted to the university was left to the federal government, and president Kennedy sent officials to assist. The photo to the left shows Chief Marshal J.P. McShane (right), Assistant Attorney General John Doar (left) and Deputy Cecil Miller (in Background) escort James Meredith to classes at the University of Mississippi (The U.S. Marshals). Kennedy sent armed deputies to assist in registering Meredith for classes three times, but were stopped each time by state politicians and state troops. Eventually, Kennedy sent 127 deputies to ensure that Meredith was safely registered at the university. In addition to this, the U.S Government states: "McShane swore in over 300 U.S. Border Patrol agents...bringing the total number of federal law enforcement officers for this assignment to 538" (The U.S. Marshals). The students, reacting to Meredith's intent on registering for classes, had a violent confrontation with the federal deputies. 160 deputies left the confrontation with injuries, and for the following year federal deputies escorted Meredith everywhere on campus, 24 hours a day to ensure that "Meredith could attend the school of his choice" (The U.S. Marshals).
http://www.usmarshals.gov/history/miss/02.htm
To read more on James Meredith and his accomplishment, please visit: The U.S. Marshals and the Integration of the University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi houses a statue of James Meredith that commemorates his accomplishment as the first African American to enroll at the university.