segregation in schools to be unconstitutional</a> in 1954, many Southern schools remained segregated. Among these was Mississippi's flagship public university known as Ole Miss, which black Air Force veteran James Meredith sued to attend beginning in May 1961. Following a lengthy legal battle, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black ordered the University of Mississippi&nbsp;to admit Meredith in September 1962. However, the state initially refused to comply. One of the tactics used to keep Meredith out was to convict him of false voter registration and pass a bill prohibiting people convicted of such charges from enrolling at state universities. As this Sept. 20, 1962, front page notes, these legal actions occurred on the same day that Meredith had been expected to enroll at Ole Miss. Mississippi Gov. Ross Barnett would personally block Meredith from enrolling later that day.</p> <p>In other news, a small article near the bottom notes that playwright Tennessee Williams has halted performances of "The Glass Menagerie," while another story announces plans for the United States to send a "manned nuclear space ship to Mars" by the 1970s.</p> <p>This artifact&nbsp;is part of our <a href=https://www.newseumed.org/tools/artifact/"/civil-rights-map" target="_blank">Civil Rights Map</a>,&nbsp;which allows you to compare civil rights coverage around the country on major events.</p> " /> Mississippi Tries to Prevent Integration of Ole Miss, 1962 | NewseumED Skip Navigation
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Mississippi Tries to Prevent Integration of Ole Miss, 1962

In order to stop James Meredith from registering at the all-white university, a state judge convicts the black man on a trumped-up charge of false voter registration.

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Artifact Date
September 20, 1962
Topic(s)
  • Civil Rights
  • Cold War

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