Booklet titled "Oxford: A Warning for Americans"
Object number1995.012.1521
DateOctober 1962
ClassificationsBooks
ObjectBooklet
Credit LineJulia Knecht Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
MediumPaper
DimensionsOverall: 8 3/4 x 3 3/4 in. (22.2 x 9.5 cm)
Collections
DescriptionBooklet titled "Oxford: A Warning for Americans" published and distributed by the Mississippi State Junior Chamber of Commerce in 1962. This 24-page booklet was produced in response to the publicity and news coverage surrounding the desegregation of Mississippi State University by the admittance of African American student James Meredith and the riots that ensued on September 30, 1962.
The Mississippi State Junior Chamber of Commerce believed that "much of the actual story remained untold" and produced this document in order for "others to know the circumstances surrounding the invasion of the State of Mississippi." The text refers to the intervention and actions of President Kennedy and the national guard as unlawful.
Curatorial CommentaryJames Meredith broke the color barrier in 1962 as the first African American student at Ole Miss. Frank Lambert’s book “The Battle of Ole Miss” (2010) describes this critical historical encounter between civil rights and state rights. This book is available in the Museum's Reading Room. - Krishna Shenoy, Librarian/Archivist
09/30/1962
09/30/1962
Department of Defense
December 1961
August 1964
