Episode 217 is the story of James Meredith and the Oxford Riots. Meredith was the first black man admitted to the University of Mississippi. Most who are familiar with the history, recall the tense moment of his admission, but few understand the extent of the violence which encompassed the event. By the end of September 1962, Meredith's attempt at registration had become an ongoing affair. After his initial rejection , he filed a lawsuit in federal court claiming racial discrimination an...
Episode 217 is the story of James Meredith and the Oxford Riots. Meredith was the first black man admitted to the University of Mississippi. Most who are familiar with the history, recall the tense moment of his admission, but few understand the extent of the violence which encompassed the event. By the end of September 1962, Meredith's attempt at registration had become an ongoing affair. After his initial rejection , he filed a lawsuit in federal court claiming racial discrimination and the suit prevailed and it set the stage for a massive showdown as the beginning of the fall school semester came upon the university. The story had beginnings reminiscent of the Little Rock 7 entering Little Rock High School and the intervention by the armed forces in that integration case. Mississippi Governor Ross Barnett would adopt the Doctrine of Interposition and assert that the state of Mississippi had the right to defy a federal court order and declare a federal law null and void. He would instruct all state employees and officers including law enforcement to resist the admittance of James Meredith to Ole Miss. The situation would escalate and become the largest invocation of the Insurrection Act of 1806, Over 31,000 national guardsman, federal marshals, other law enforcement officers and members of the military would be activated for the event. The degree of domestic disturbance and the related violence and extensive involvement of the military would be taken to a new level. A level not seen in prior civil rights disturbances, and a level that would set the stage for intense retribution from the radical right. This wander into the depth of violence and hate is done to demonstrate that which was present in the form of danger to all who opposed the civil rights movement and especially leaders such as John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy and
members of the civil rights movement including Martin Luther King.
Even as early as 1964, rumors and serious concerns over the lone gunman theory and the evidence that might contravene it, were becoming a major concern for the government and the commission. Conspiracy theories were contrary to the government's stated narrative from the very beginning. This real-life story is more fascinating than fiction. No matter whether you are a serious researcher or a casual student, you will enjoy the fact filled narrative and story as we relive one of the most shocking moments in American History. An event that changed the nation and changed the world forever.
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