James Meredith and Civil Rights

Paper Summary:

This paper introduces, discusses and analyzes the topic of James Meredith. Specifically, the paper discusses James Meredith's role in the Black Student Movement and the Civil Rights Movement. According to the paper, in 1962, James Meredith attempted to enter the University of Mississippi to study law. After a long and very bitter struggle he became the first black student in the history of the school.

From the Paper:

"During Meredith's fight to enter Ole Miss, he became more involved in the overall fight for civil rights, as well. In 1966, his first memoir, Three Years in Mississippi was published, and he undertook the Meredith Mississippi March Against Fear from Memphis, Tennessee, to Jackson, Mississippi. After only two days, someone shot him and left him by the side of the road as dead. The attack so angered other black civil rights groups that they banded together and finished the walk in his honor. Stokely Carmichael, one of the marchers, came up with the term "black power" during the march, and this was the beginning of the term associated with the black struggle to end oppression and prejudice. Thus, many credit Meredith as the father of the movement, although he did not coin the phrase. Meredith rejoined the march for a few days, and has always been an outspoken critic of nonviolence. However, his civil rights activities waned after the march. Meredith went on to study and teach abroad for several years. He lectures, has taught, and is now the President of the Meredith Institute, Inc., a non-profit organization that teaches Black Americans the importance of language and how to read, write, and speak the English language. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Editors. 2007. About James Meredith. Jackson, MI: On-line. Available from Internet, ttp://www.jamesmeredithbooks.com/about.html accessed 16 April 2007.
• Fisk, Candace D., and Beth Hurst. "James Meredith at Ole Miss: 'Victory over Discrimination'." Social Education 68, no. 6 (2004): 418+.
• Levy, Peter B. The Civil Rights Movement. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1998.
• Mazama, Ama. "Paul Hendrickson. Sons of Mississippi: A Story of Race and Its Legacy." African American Review 37, no. 4 (2003): 662+.
• Meredith, James H. 1996. Three Years in Mississippi. Jackson, MI: Meredith Publishing.

More papers on James Meredith and Civil Rights:

• Term Paper # 118652 : "The Mississippi Insurgence"
• Argumentative Essay # 99299 : "Gay Rights and Civil Rights"
• Argumentative Essay # 134859 : "Race and Civil Rights in Jena, Louisiana"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: