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 Civil War," a
crisis that on September 30, 1962, exploded into a chaotic battle
between thousands of white civilians and a small corps of federal
marshals. To crush the insurrection, President John F. Kennedy ordered a
lightning invasion of Mississippi by over 20,000 U.S. combat infantry,
paratroopers, military police, and National Guard troops.
Based on years of intensive research, including over 500 interviews,
JFK's White House tapes, and 9,000 pages of FBI files, An American
Insurrection is a minute-by-minute account of the crisis. William
Doyle offers intimate portraits of the key players, from James Meredith
to the segregationist Mississippi Governor Ross Barnett, to President
John F. Kennedy and the federal marshals and soldiers who risked their
lives to uphold the Constitution. The defeat of the segregationist
uprising in Oxford was a turning point in the civil rights struggle, and
An American Insurrection brings this largely forgotten event to life
in all its drama, stunning detail, and historical importance.