Lesson 13.04: Integration of Southern Universities

• Introduction
• University of Mississippi
• Medgar Evers
• University of Alabama
• Practice
• Task

Following successful completion of this lesson, students will be able to: Trace the struggles of James Meredith as he attempted to enroll in, and was later accepted to, the University of Mississippi. Identify the work of Medgar Evers and the sacrifice he made to end segregation. Describe the various integration attempts at the University of Alabama, including the actions of George Wallace in 1963. The above objectives correspond with the following Alabama Course of Study Objectives: ACOS X .

 

	Governor George Wallace attempting to block integration at the University of Alabama
Governor George Wallace attempting to block integration at the University of Alabama Library of Congress.  Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-ppmsca-04294 This image is in the public domain.

Governor Wallace stands in the schoolhouse door at the University of Alabama.

 

Overview

Nearly a decade after the Brown decision, Southern universities continued to struggle with desegregation. Opposition was fierce and at times brutal. At the University of Mississippi, a large mob greeted Air Force veteran, James Meredith, as he entered campus in the fall of 1962. The Governor and surrounding community vehemently opposed his acceptance and tried desperately to keep him off campus. Riots ensued and blood was shed. Meredith survived the ordeal and did eventually graduate from the University. However, outrage was so intense following the event, that others, like Meredith, who tested segregation within the state, soon found themselves the target of violent acts. NAACP worker, Medgar Evers, was martyred shortly thereafter for his desegregation activities in Mississippi.

In Alabama, integration had already been attempted during the previous decade at the University of Alabama. Autherine Lucy was, for three days, officially enrolled on campus and even managed to attend classes. Her presence on campus, however, created hostility that frightened school officials. The Board of Trustees subsequently voted to expel her from campus for “her own safety”. It wasn’t until 1963 that desegregation would be attempted again. This time, Governor Wallace made a spectacle of the scene as he infamously stood in the schoolhouse door barring James Hood and Vivian Malone from entering. Despite the resistance, the students were able to attend classes, thereby achieving full integration of the University once and for all.