Tune in to ESPN2 30 for 30 and watch its special about the racial integration by James Meredith of the University of Mississippi in 1962. It does it against the background of the University's football team and its efforts to be No. 1.
I watched this twice last week, olivant. It was very well done. The recordings of the phone calls between the Mississippi Governor and the President were interesting.
As I tell my students, the President showed restraint and a tremendous respect for federalism by allowing the state to handle the situation until he determined that the state was not able or willing to handle it.
Very true. Of particular interest was the exchange between Kennedy and Barnett in the midst of an immediate threat of violence when the President told him to go up on the hill and handle the situation by talking to the people. Barnett tried to end the call by saying something to the effect, "I'll tell them you're pulling the marshalls out." Kennedy immediately jumped on him and told himnot to make any such promise.
