An American Insurrection

By William Doyle,

Book cover of An American Insurrection: James Meredith and the Battle of Oxford, Mississippi, 1962

Book description

In 1961, a black veteran named James Meredith applied for admission to the University of Mississippi — and launched a legal revolt against white supremacy in the most segregated state in America. Meredith’s challenge ultimately triggered what Time magazine called “the gravest conflict between federal and state authority since the…

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Why read it?

1 author picked An American Insurrection as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

While this is a non-fiction book, with the story that unfolds, you could be forgiven for believing it’s a work of fiction. That a US president, would send tens of thousands of US Army personnel into a state to quell an insurrection in the 20th Century is barely believable, but this is indeed what happened.

The remarkable book sets out the events which surrounded the heated and impassioned debate which evolved around the admission of James Meredith into the University of Mississippi, known as Ole Miss. 

The facts alone make this a compelling read, written in a journalist styling,…

From Derek's list on lesser-known Civil Rights.

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