Meredith, James Howard, 1933-

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James Howard Meredith (born June 25, 1933) is an American civil rights activist, writer, political adviser, and United States Air Force veteran who became, in 1962, the first African-American student admitted to the racially segregated University of Mississippi after the intervention of the federal government.

In 1966, Meredith planned a solo 220-mile March Against Fear from Memphis, Tennessee, to Jackson, Mississippi. On the second day, he was shot by a white gunman and suffered numerous wounds. Leaders of major organizations vowed to complete the march in his name after he was taken to the hospital. While Meredith was recovering, more people from across the country became involved as marchers. He rejoined the march and when Meredith and other leaders entered Jackson on June 26, they were leading an estimated 15,000 marchers, in what was the largest civil rights march in Mississippi. During the march, more than 4,000 African Americans registered to vote, and it was a catalyst to continued community organizing and additional registration.

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn The Personal Papers of Burke Marshall. 1944 - 2003. Assistant Attorney General Mississippi Files. 7/1959 - 1963. Ole Miss Integration - James Meredith. 5/1961 - 1963. James Meredith's Suit Against the University of Mississippi John F. Kennedy Library
referencedIn The Personal Papers of Burke Marshall. 1944 - 2003. Assistant Attorney General Mississippi Files. 7/1959 - 1963. Ole Miss Integration - James Meredith. 5/1961 - 1963. James Meredith's Letter to the Registrar, University of Mississippi March 26, 1961 John F. Kennedy Library
creatorOf The Personal Papers of Burke Marshall. 1944 - 2003. Assistant Attorney General Mississippi Files. 7/1959 - 1963. Ole Miss Integration - James Meredith. 5/1961 - 1963. James Meredith's Letter to the Registrar, University of Mississippi February 20, 1961 John F. Kennedy Library
creatorOf The Personal Papers of Burke Marshall. 1944 - 2003. Assistant Attorney General Mississippi Files. 7/1959 - 1963. Ole Miss Integration - James Meredith. 5/1961 - 1963. James Meredith's Letter to the Registrar, University of Mississippi March 26, 1961 John F. Kennedy Library
referencedIn Records of U.S. Attorneys. 1821 - 1994. Films of General Edwin Walker Discussing School Desegregation National Archives at College Park
referencedIn Ed Movitz Integration Collection, September-October 1962. University of Mississippi
referencedIn General Records of the Department of Justice. 1790 - 2002. Class 144 (Civil Rights) Litigation Case Files National Archives at College Park
referencedIn Harbison, Margaret Countiss. Margaret Countiss Harbison Collection, 1958-1964. University of Mississippi
referencedIn Constance Baker Motley Papers MS 110., 1948-1988 Sophia Smith Collection
referencedIn (XI. ff. 646). 16-31 Aug. 1852.includes:ff. 3, 480 John Masterman, MP: Letters to the Postmaster General: 1852. f. 7 Sir Glynne Earle Welby, Baronet: Letters to the Postmaster General: 1852. f. 10 W-H-Mackey: Letters to P. Dickson: 1852. f. 13 W... British Library
referencedIn Civil Rights Commemoration Initiative Collection, 1982-2006. University of Mississippi
referencedIn The Personal Papers of Burke Marshall. 1944 - 2003. Assistant Attorney General Mississippi Files. 7/1959 - 1963. Ole Miss Integration - James Meredith. 5/1961 - 1963. Letter to James Meredith February 21, 1961 John F. Kennedy Library
referencedIn The Personal Papers of Burke Marshall. 1944 - 2003. Assistant Attorney General Mississippi Files. 7/1959 - 1963. Ole Miss Integration - James Meredith. 5/1961 - 1963. James Meredith's Letter to the Registrar, University of Mississippi January 31, 1961 John F. Kennedy Library
creatorOf The Personal Papers of Burke Marshall. 1944 - 2003. Assistant Attorney General Mississippi Files. 7/1959 - 1963. Ole Miss Integration - James Meredith. 5/1961 - 1963. James Meredith's Letter to the Registrar, University of Mississippi January 31, 1961 John F. Kennedy Library
referencedIn The Personal Papers of Burke Marshall. 1944 - 2003. Assistant Attorney General Mississippi Files. 7/1959 - 1963. Ole Miss Integration - James Meredith. 5/1961 - 1963. James Meredith's Letter to the Justice Department February 7, 1961 John F. Kennedy Library
referencedIn Papers of Julian Bond 1897-2006 University of Virginia. Small Special Collections Library
referencedIn The Personal Papers of Burke Marshall. 1944 - 2003. Assistant Attorney General Mississippi Files. 7/1959 - 1963. Ole Miss Integration - James Meredith. 5/1961 - 1963. James Meredith, Letter of Recommendation March 26, 1961 John F. Kennedy Library
creatorOf Boyle, Sarah-Patton, 1906-. Papers of Sarah-Patton Boyle, 1949-1970. University of Virginia. Library
referencedIn The Personal Papers of Burke Marshall. 1944 - 2003. Assistant Attorney General Mississippi Files. 7/1959 - 1963. Chronology of Events. 5/1961 - 10/1962. Chronology of Events at the University of Mississippi John F. Kennedy Library
creatorOf The Personal Papers of Burke Marshall. 1944 - 2003. Assistant Attorney General Mississippi Files. 7/1959 - 1963. Ole Miss Integration - James Meredith. 5/1961 - 1963. James Meredith's Letter to the Registrar, University of Mississippi No Date John F. Kennedy Library
referencedIn The Personal Papers of Burke Marshall. 1944 - 2003. Assistant Attorney General Mississippi Files. 7/1959 - 1963. Ole Miss Integration - James Meredith. 5/1961 - 1963. James Meredith's Letter to the Director of Men's Housing May 15, 1961 John F. Kennedy Library
creatorOf The Personal Papers of Burke Marshall. 1944 - 2003. Assistant Attorney General Mississippi Files. 7/1959 - 1963. Ole Miss Integration - James Meredith. 5/1961 - 1963. James Meredith's Letter to the Registrar, University of Mississippi February 25, 1961 John F. Kennedy Library
referencedIn Mississippi Highway Patrol Collection, September-October 1962. University of Mississippi
referencedIn The Personal Papers of Burke Marshall. 1944 - 2003. Assistant Attorney General Mississippi Files. 7/1959 - 1963. Ole Miss Integration - James Meredith. 5/1961 - 1963. James Meredith's Letter to the Registrar, University of Mississippi February 20, 1961 John F. Kennedy Library
referencedIn The Personal Papers of Burke Marshall. 1944 - 2003. Assistant Attorney General Mississippi Files. 7/1959 - 1963. Ole Miss Integration - James Meredith. 5/1961 - 1963. Letter to James Meredith John F. Kennedy Library
referencedIn The Personal Papers of Burke Marshall. 1944 - 2003. Assistant Attorney General Mississippi Files. 7/1959 - 1963. Ole Miss Integration - James Meredith. 5/1961 - 1963. James Meredith's Letter to the Registrar, University of Mississippi May 15, 1961 John F. Kennedy Library
referencedIn The Personal Papers of Burke Marshall. 1944 - 2003. Assistant Attorney General Mississippi Files. 7/1959 - 1963. Ole Miss Integration - James Meredith. 5/1961 - 1963. Letter to James Meredith from Registrar May 9, 1961 John F. Kennedy Library
creatorOf The Personal Papers of Burke Marshall. 1944 - 2003. Assistant Attorney General Mississippi Files. 7/1959 - 1963. Ole Miss Integration - James Meredith. 5/1961 - 1963. James Meredith's Letter to the Registrar, University of Mississippi March 18, 1961 John F. Kennedy Library
referencedIn Papers of John F. Kennedy: President's Office Files. 1/20/1961 - 11/22/1963. Speech Files. 1961 - 1963. Radio and television report on situation at the University of Mississippi, 30 September 1962 John F. Kennedy Library
creatorOf The Personal Papers of Burke Marshall. 1944 - 2003. Assistant Attorney General Mississippi Files. 7/1959 - 1963. Ole Miss Integration - James Meredith. 5/1961 - 1963. James Meredith's Letter to the Justice Department February 7, 1961 John F. Kennedy Library
referencedIn Motley, Constance Baker, 1921-2005. The reminiscences of Judge Constance Baker Motley. Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
creatorOf The Personal Papers of Burke Marshall. 1944 - 2003. Assistant Attorney General Mississippi Files. 7/1959 - 1963. Ole Miss Integration - James Meredith. 5/1961 - 1963. James Meredith's Letter to the Dean, College of Liberal Arts, University of Mississippi April 12, 1961 John F. Kennedy Library
referencedIn Newsweek, inc. Newsweek Atlanta Bureau records, 1953-1979. Emory University. Special Collections and Archives
creatorOf The Personal Papers of Burke Marshall. 1944 - 2003. Assistant Attorney General Mississippi Files. 7/1959 - 1963. Ole Miss Integration - James Meredith. 5/1961 - 1963. James Meredith's Letter to the Director of Men's Housing May 15, 1961 John F. Kennedy Library
creatorOf The Personal Papers of Burke Marshall. 1944 - 2003. Assistant Attorney General Mississippi Files. 7/1959 - 1963. Ole Miss Integration - James Meredith. 5/1961 - 1963. James Meredith's Letter to the Registrar, University of Mississippi May 15, 1961 John F. Kennedy Library
referencedIn General Records of the Department of Justice. 1790 - 2002. Class 144 (Civil Rights) Sound Recordings National Archives at College Park
referencedIn Indiana University Oral History Archive, 1991-1998 Indiana University, Bloomington. Center for the Study of History and Memory
referencedIn The Personal Papers of Burke Marshall. 1944 - 2003. Assistant Attorney General Mississippi Files. 7/1959 - 1963. Ole Miss Integration - James Meredith. 5/1961 - 1963. James Meredith's Letter to the Registrar, University of Mississippi February 25, 1961 John F. Kennedy Library
creatorOf NONMUSIC RECORDING (COLLECTION) Audio materials, 1956-1977 National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Audio materials, 1956-1977 [sound recording]. Library of Congress
referencedIn Smith, Wofford K., 1927-1990. Reverend Wofford K. Smith Collection, 1962-1964. University of Mississippi
referencedIn The Personal Papers of Burke Marshall. 1944 - 2003. Assistant Attorney General Mississippi Files. 7/1959 - 1963. Ole Miss Integration - James Meredith. 5/1961 - 1963. James Meredith's Letter to the Registrar, University of Mississippi No Date John F. Kennedy Library
referencedIn The Personal Papers of Burke Marshall. 1944 - 2003. Assistant Attorney General Mississippi Files. 7/1959 - 1963. Ole Miss Integration - James Meredith. 5/1961 - 1963. James Meredith's Letter to the Dean, College of Liberal Arts, University of Mississippi April 12, 1961 John F. Kennedy Library
referencedIn The Personal Papers of Burke Marshall. 1944 - 2003. Assistant Attorney General Mississippi Files. 7/1959 - 1963. Ole Miss Integration - James Meredith. 5/1961 - 1963. Telegram to James Meredith February 4, 1961 John F. Kennedy Library
referencedIn Jay G. Hayden scrapbooks, 1916-1965 Bentley Historical Library
referencedIn George R. Metcalf papers, 1956-1971 Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Rare Books, Manuscripts, and Archives Section
referencedIn The Personal Papers of Burke Marshall. 1944 - 2003. Assistant Attorney General Mississippi Files. 7/1959 - 1963. Ole Miss Integration - James Meredith. 5/1961 - 1963. James Meredith's Letter to the Registrar, University of Mississippi March 18, 1961 John F. Kennedy Library
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Boyle, Sarah-Patton, 1906- person
alumnusOrAlumnaOf Columbia University corporateBody
associatedWith Hayden, Jay G., 1884-1971 person
associatedWith Indiana University Center for the Study of History and Memory corporateBody
associatedWith Jackson State College corporateBody
associatedWith Metcalf, George R., 1914- person
associatedWith Motley, Constance Baker, 1921-2005 person
associatedWith National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. corporateBody
associatedWith Newsweek, inc. corporateBody
associatedWith Smith, Wofford K., 1927-1990. person
associatedWith University of Kansas. corporateBody
alumnusOrAlumnaOf University of Mississippi corporateBody
associatedWith Washburn University of Topeka corporateBody
Place Name Admin Code Country
Kosciusko MS US
Mississippi MS US
United States 00 US
Subject
Occupation
Civil rights workers
Lawyers
Activity

Person

Birth 1933-06-25

English

Information

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SNAC ID: 27575915