Cadet and Ward

Gardner Rogers

Rhetoric 105, Section S1

15 April 2004

Integration of Ole Miss

A strong and independent minded man named James H. Meredith applied for acceptance into the University of Mississippi. Meredith "anticipated on encountering some type of difficulty" with his attempt to enter the University of Mississippi, also known as the Ole Miss, but 'difficulty' would not describe his journey. The day after John F. Kennedy was inaugurated in early January of 1961, Meredith requested for application into the Ole Miss. On January 26, the registrar of Ole Miss, Robert B. Ellis, sent him an application along with a letter indicating that the university was "very pleased to know of [Meredith's] interest in becoming a member of our student body" (JFK Library). Meredith applied on January 31, enclosing a letter indicting he was an "American-Mississippi-Negro citizen." On February 4 the registrar sent Meredith a telegram stating that the Ole Miss "found [it] necessary to discontinue consideration of all applications for registration . . . received after January 25, 1961" (JFK Library). Hearing of his status to the Ole Miss, Meredith seemed to have felt angry and annoyed. His application was neither accepted nor rejected, but rather delayed upon hearing that he was a Negro. Meredith immediately wrote to Thurgood Marshall then to the U.S. Justice Department describing his situation. Meredith had been consciously aware since he was fifteen that he was a Negro and "until I was fifteen I did not know that my group was supposed to be the inferior one. Since then I have felt a personal responsibility to change the status of my group" (JFK Library). Meredith applied to the Ole Miss not just to get an education, but he did it for the people of his race. Since realizing that he was supposed to be inferior, Meredith has been a conscientious objector to his oppressed status. His want for a higher education prompted him to apply to Ole Miss, but on hearing of his discontinuation of his application, Meredith's personal and political values and beliefs held him strong and attached to Ole Miss until he was accepted. So on May 31, 1961, Meredith and Thurgood Marshall of the NAACP took the case to court. Over a year later of trial after trial, on September 10, 1962, the Supreme Court orders Ole Miss to accept James Meredith. Many Mississippians did not agree with the court. One of which included the governor of Mississippi, Ross R. Barnett. On September 25, 1962, Meredith tries to enter Ole Miss, but is blocked by Barnett claiming that "[no school will be integrated in Mississippi while I am your Governor" (Barnett Defies 2). Barnett held his ground and wanted Mississippi to remain as it was and would not stand for integration. A comic strip depicted Barnett laying down a brick wall around a Mississippi sign while trying to keep the sign of the U.S. out and separated (Integration). It influenced many into believing that Mississippi indeed seemed to be delayed and lagging behind the U.S. when it came to allowing integration, which the cartoon tries to prove. Barnett was scantly supported by other southern governors, but even so, Barnett asked if his citizens, especially officers, would go to jail to fight for his 'righteous' cause. If any officers would not fight and allow integration, they should resign from there position and someone who could stand firm would take their place (Officers Responsible 1). Barnett believed that anyone who would allow this was unjust and should not be in any official positions, because they would not be able to help in Mississippi's crisis. Barnett's righteous case began on September 30 as riots broke out at Ole Miss as Meredith entered the campus. John F. Kennedy had sent troops to Ole Miss to protect Meredith as he tried to enter the university. Mississippi’s crisis erupted in bloodshed and Barnett stated that "the Federal Authorities alone have the power to stop the bloodshed by removing Meredith and the thousand armed troops that are at his side" (Officers Responsible 2). After the riots, Barnett asked of his community to remain calm and insisted that law and order will prevail. Two days later, Meredith prevailed as he attended his first class on October 2, 1962. The cost of "lives, conflict, bloodshed, and hatred was the greatest of disputes of court-ordered integration" (News Summary) that people had seen. Two dead and scores remained injured, but Meredith had gotten far in his journey by attending two classes that day with his values and beliefs still at his side. This experience and the next three years are detailed in his book, Three Years in Mississippi.

James Meredith wrote about his years at Ole Miss to provide readers with a first-hand account of the events surrounding his unprecedented journey at the University. Meredith is a well-reviewed author that brings the facts to people in such a way that it is frightening. “If Three Years in Mississippi is a heartening expression of how far we have come, it is also a warning of how far we have to go,” (Diamonstein 32). The warning mentioned is the needed actions to tear down the racial barriers that still exist. Meredith did pave the way for more African-Americans to attend the University of Mississippi. Twelve African-Americans were enrolled at the University by the time Meredith graduated. The students had entered and attended with no further incidents like those Meredith encountered. James Meredith is a name and action that will always be remembered as heroic.

Three Years in Mississippi is a controversial book, which confronts the morality in its readers. Meredith’s book brings many people to realize their shame on the race issue. “Reading this book brings a deep sense of shame. It is shocking to have to recall that only a few years ago the full engines of federal power were needed to force entry for a qualified student into an American university,” (Diamonstein 32). This review explains the power the book has in its pages. Diamonstein is only one of many that have reviewed Meredith’s book. All I have come across have hailed it along the same lines as this reviewer. “Shocking and revolting, yet intimate” are the words Saturday Review uses to describe Three Years in Mississippi.

Misha and I have utilized much time in the Undergraduate Library to find pertinent sources for our report. Misha searched through major newspapers during the time to provide accurate details of the event. Her keywords were “Integration of the University of Mississippi” and “James Meredith, Barnett, University of Mississippi.” Too many items came up with using only James Meredith. The sources she found were mainly through the New York Times Index. There was a pertinent website that she found by using Google.

I looked and looked for reviews of books related to the integration of the University of Mississippi and James Meredith. I used the library book find on the website and only came across a few relevant titles. After I found these titles, I looked through the Book Review Indexes to find the reviews. Only a couple of the books had been reviewed according to the reference books. I wrote down the newspapers, magazines and journals that reported these reviews. Some of the sources are not carried in our library. Newsweek is available in the library; however the day I needed to look at was nowhere to be found! I did find one pertinent review of the book I chose in the Saturday Review. This article is the one I used for the analysis of Meredith’s book. I didn’t read or check out his book, but by reading the review I found a better view on the situation than I previously had.

I found out that he used an academic press for the production of his book because they would let him write it the way he wanted. Indiana University didn’t ask him to change any part of it. The book is his own and the university allowed him to keep it that way. I have googled this subject looking for more reviews to compare this one to, but came up empty. I did find a brief one that didn’t help this report at all, other than to confirm a good review of the book.

 Works Cited

Amacker , Kristy , and Ellen Harris . John F. Kennedy Library and Museum, Integrating Ole Miss . June 2002. JFK Education Department. 10 Apr. 2004 <http://www.cs.umb.edu/jfklibrary/meredith/jmfr.html>.

"Barnett Defies Federal Court on Mississippi U. Integration." New York Times 13 Sept.

1962: 2.

Diamonstein, Barbaralee. “Historic Return to College.” Saturday Review 28 May 1966: 31-32.

Integration and the University of Mississippi. Cartoon. New York Times [New York] 30 Sept. 1962: 1.

"News Summary and Index." New York Times 2 Oct. 1962: 1.

Smith, Hedrick. "Barnett Charges Marshalls: Says 'Trigger- Happy' U.S. Officers are Responsible for Campus Bloodshed." New York Times 1 Oct 1962: 2.