National Civil Rights Timeline 1962

October 1, 1962

Source: Press Scimitar, 1963. By William Leaprott, Special Collections, University of Memphis Libraries.

James Meredith is the first African American student to enroll at the University of Mississippi. His enrollment enrages racist whites and incites riots. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy sends five-hundred US Marshals and President John F. Kennedy also orders military police, the Mississippi national guard, and the US border control to the University of Mississippi to ensure Meredith's successful matriculation and to maintain order.