In this silent WSB newsfilm clip from Jackson, Mississippi in 1962 or 1963, white citizens celebrate the departure of federal marshals and members of the Army National Guard from the University of Mississippi or "Ole Miss" campus. The clip begins with cars parked beside the sidewalk while other cars drive down Capitol Street in Jackson. Crowds of people line the sidewalks, some waiving Confederate flags. At one end of the street the old capitol building is seen. The crowd also stands in front of the Mississippi governor's house; governor Ross Barnett is seen among the crowd. African American James Meredith first applied to the University of Mississippi, or "Ole Miss," in January 1961. After his application was denied, Meredith, with the help of the NAACP Legal Defense fund, filed a federal lawsuit in May 1961. Following a series of court decisions and appeals, United States Supreme Court justice Hugo Black on September 10, 1962 ordered the university to admit Meredith. In response, Mississippi governor Ross Barnett threatened to close the university. Other state officials and members of the Board of Regents worked to obstruct Meredith's admission, causing the Fifth Circuit court of appeals to declare the university's Board of Trustees in contempt of court. Marshals escorted Meredith to the "Ole Miss" campus on September 30; in response, white students and citizens rioted, throwing brickbats, lead pipes, and Molotov cocktails, slashing Army truck tires, and burning the truck's canvas tops. Federal marshals responded by fired tear gas and President Kennedy sent members of the Army National Guard to the campus. Two people were killed during the riot and several others were wounded. Members of the Army National Guard remained on campus until Meredith's graduation on August 18, 1963.

Title supplied by cataloger.

The Civil Rights Digital Library received support from a National Leadership Grant for Libraries awarded to the University of Georgia by the Institute of Museum and Library Services for digital conversion and description of the WSB-TV Newsfilm Collection.

1 clip (about 1 min.): black-and-white, silent ; 16 mm.

Original found in the WSB-TV newsfilm collection.

WSB-TV newsfilm clip of white citizens celebrating the departure of federal marshals from the University of Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi, 1962 or 1963, WSB-TV newsfilm collection, reel 0819, 10:35/11:15, Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection, The University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Ga, as presented in the Digital Library of Georgia.

Forms part of: Civil Rights Digital Library.