Earlier this week we were privileged to watch the ESPN 30 for 30 film titled: Ghosts of Ole Miss. It is a very fascinating story. Not only did it share the story about the undefeated 1962 Ole Miss football team, but also about the segregation and racism that was occurring during that time towards the first, African American student, James Meredith. The story behind the short film is very powerful. The year 1962 will always be an unforgettable year to Ole Miss University.
Before I get into more detail about the tragic incidents that occurred at Ole Miss University in 1962, I would like to give you a little background about James Meredith. According to biography.com, Meredith was born in 1933 in Mississippi. Throughout his childhood, he attended …show more content…
As they arrived, the building was surrounded. Publicradio.org, also shared that more than 2,500 angry students and outside agitators swarmed around the main campus building. While outside they began to get more upset and eventually the Ole Miss riot of 1962 started. The rioting crowd began by throwing anything they could at the federal marshals such as things like bricks and rocks. The federal marshals responded by throwing out tear gas. As this riot became more public, more agitators from other states started showing up and rallying with everyone else in the riot. The agitators were so mad that they begin fighting each other. Eventually the riot came to an end. Two people died that tragic night at Ole Miss University. It is said that the Ole Miss riot of 1962 was the last battle of the Civil War.
The next morning, on October 1, 1962 President Kennedy sent 30,000 troops to protect Meredith as he finally registered for classes says publicradio.org. James Meredith became the first black student to enroll in the University of Mississippi. As we went from class to class, he was constantly harassed but he never reacted and never showed any emotion. He thought if he did not show fear, it would scare everyone else that thought he should be scared. James Meredith ended up graduating in 1963. The University of Mississippi still carries those scars from …show more content…
The University of Mississippi had so many different moral values than Meredith. The University has so much history against African Americans. To start, about 150 years ago, all but four University of Mississippi students dropped out of school to form Company A, the 11th Mississippi infantry. They fought for the right to keep slavery. The morals of the University would not be for Meredith. Even when he was trying to apply, the confederate flag was practically everywhere. During football games, they would run the confederate flag across the field and fans would wave small handheld confederate flags. They would also play the song “Dixie,” the song that talks about the old South. I think James Meredith chose the University of Mississippi because he believed that he had the right to attend college where he wanted to. James Meredith took a huge step for African Americans in
Before I get into more detail about the tragic incidents that occurred at Ole Miss University in 1962, I would like to give you a little background about James Meredith. According to biography.com, Meredith was born in 1933 in Mississippi. Throughout his childhood, he attended …show more content…
As they arrived, the building was surrounded. Publicradio.org, also shared that more than 2,500 angry students and outside agitators swarmed around the main campus building. While outside they began to get more upset and eventually the Ole Miss riot of 1962 started. The rioting crowd began by throwing anything they could at the federal marshals such as things like bricks and rocks. The federal marshals responded by throwing out tear gas. As this riot became more public, more agitators from other states started showing up and rallying with everyone else in the riot. The agitators were so mad that they begin fighting each other. Eventually the riot came to an end. Two people died that tragic night at Ole Miss University. It is said that the Ole Miss riot of 1962 was the last battle of the Civil War.
The next morning, on October 1, 1962 President Kennedy sent 30,000 troops to protect Meredith as he finally registered for classes says publicradio.org. James Meredith became the first black student to enroll in the University of Mississippi. As we went from class to class, he was constantly harassed but he never reacted and never showed any emotion. He thought if he did not show fear, it would scare everyone else that thought he should be scared. James Meredith ended up graduating in 1963. The University of Mississippi still carries those scars from …show more content…
The University of Mississippi had so many different moral values than Meredith. The University has so much history against African Americans. To start, about 150 years ago, all but four University of Mississippi students dropped out of school to form Company A, the 11th Mississippi infantry. They fought for the right to keep slavery. The morals of the University would not be for Meredith. Even when he was trying to apply, the confederate flag was practically everywhere. During football games, they would run the confederate flag across the field and fans would wave small handheld confederate flags. They would also play the song “Dixie,” the song that talks about the old South. I think James Meredith chose the University of Mississippi because he believed that he had the right to attend college where he wanted to. James Meredith took a huge step for African Americans in