The night of September 29, 1962 marked the beginning of The Ole Miss Riot, the culmination of contention between Southern segregationist civilians and federal and state forces. James Meredith’s enrollment at the University of Mississippi at Oxford, Mississippi spurred protest and discontent among Southern segregationists because Meredith was an African American military veteran, and primarily White students attended the University. The United States Supreme Court ruled that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional in the landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision. Meredith’s application to the University of Mississippi was supported and legitimized by his strong experience as an Air Force veteran and his previous academic
