The Price of Defiance

by Charles W. Eagles

After fighting a protracted legal battle, James Meredith broke the color barrier in 1962 as the first African American student at the University of Mississippi. The riot that followed his arrival on campus seriously wounded scores of U.S. marshals and killed two civilians, more casualties than any other clash of the civil rights era. To restore order, the Kennedy administration dispatched thousands of soldiers to Oxford. In The Price of Defiance, Charles Eagles shows that the stunning eruption of violence resulted from the "closed society's" long defiance of the civil rights movement and federal law. Using many previously untapped sources, including FBI and U.S. marshal files, army and university records, and Meredith's personal papers, Eagles provides invaluable background for understanding the historic moment by demonstrating the university's--and Mississippi's--history of aggressive resistance to desegregation from the post@-World War II years on, including the delib

Genres: History, Race, Social Justice, Nonfiction

584 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2009

Reviews

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my former professors at Ole Miss, Eagles offers context on race at Ole Miss long before Meridith's integration in 1962, providing valuable insight to the unpinnings of that event.

Like other books written about Ole Miss/Oxford/Mississippi, this one had even more meaning to me as I've been in many of the places referenced, and know some of the people mentioned.

[Joann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well researched and well written account of both the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) and the efforts of James Meredith to enroll in the school in the 1960’s. Looking back at the situation now, it is acutely embarrassing to see the efforts the university went to to maintain segregation even after the Brown ruling. My jaw dropped more than once as I read about the actions, frequently amounting to no action, of the university when considering Meredith’s application. I knew of this case but certainly did not know many details; I am grateful for the investigative journalism of Charles Eagles.

[Kathleen Hagen]

The Price of Defiance: James Meredith and the Integration of Ole Miss, by Charles W. Eagles, Narrated by Kyle Munley, Produced by audible Inc. downloaded from audible.com.

This book is a very detailed look at Mississippi’s attempts from WW II on to fight desegregation. Eagles shapes the atmosphere that existed at Ole Miss in the 50’s and early 60’s. It takes almost until the second half of the book for us to begin seeing James Meredith. The history itself, of the two years it took for Meredith to get into Ole Miss, and theextraordinary circumstances in which a federal judge on the Court of Appeals, actually not assigned to the panel hearing the case, intercepted himself into the fray and attempted to write an opinion reversing the federal court of appeal decision-something pretty much impossible to be done by someone not even assigned to the panel. The governor’s continuous stubborn attempts to keepsegregation from occurring, and the University’s attempts to side-step the whole issue are pretty astounding. And the ultimate tragedy of the riots that took place the night before Meredith was actually admitted was horrifying. I didn’t get a clear picture of James Meredith himself, except to be amazed that after all of that he could ultimately have been an aide for Jessie Helms, not to mention amazed that Helms hired him. The research on this book was superb and while it was long and detailed, it is definitely worth reading.

[Del · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely riveting story of a man who wouldn't take no for an answer. A Navy vet who decided he was tired of being a half citizen of the nation he'd put his life on the line for. A detailed look at the ugly forces of racism that stood in his way. A book that any fan of Ole Miss should read to understand how bad it was and how far we've come. Well written and enjoyable.

Listened to the unabridged audiobook on Audible.com.

[B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The thorough documentation of this history of the integration of the University of Mississippi is impressive. Having been a student at Ole Miss during the time that James Meredith attended gave the book special meaning, and I must admit that there was much more going on in the background of this time than I had any idea of. I found this to be very compelling reading.

[Marvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Used this book in a team-taught class on 50 years of integration called Opening the Closed Society at the University of Mississippi. Best part of this book is that Charles Eagles does a masterful job of explaining the political and social climate in Mississippi preceding James Meredith's enrollment. It's a sobering read through a dark chapter in Mississippi's history.

[bethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

way to go dr. eagles.

[Sherree · Rating 3 out of 5]

very informative..challenging to read all the court cases