James Meredith: Warrior and the America That Created Him

By: Meredith Coleman McGee

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Synopsis: This book provides an honest look at the life and times of Civil Rights icon James Howard Meredith within the context of the America that created him and his generation.James Meredith is a Civil Rights icon who took on the U.S. federal government and forced it to take a stand on whether African Americans were entitled to receive higher education at the same schools as whites. James Meredith: Warrior and the America That Created Him provides an insightful, revealing examination of the state of the United States that engendered James Meredith and others of his generation who stood up for equality. The book examines Meredith's early life; his actions that resulted in the integration of Ole Miss; his 1966 "March Against Fear," during which he was shot by a shotgun-wielding sniper; and voting rights stories from the Civil Rights era. The book also explores the roles played by famed Civil Rights activist Medgar W. Evers, Meredith's legal team, and the NAACP in shaping the events that prompted President John F. Kennedy to send in armed troops to restore order and break Mississippi's Jim Crow laws. The last two chapters focus on closing America's wealth gap in modern-day society.