What did James Meredith achieve at the University of Mississippi in 1962, and what protected it?

• A. Won a prestigious scholarship to study abroad.
• B. Integrated Ole Miss as the first Black student; federal courts and U.S. troops enforced the enrollment.
• C. Led a peaceful protest that ended segregation at Ole Miss.
• D. Desegregated all Mississippi public facilities instantly.

Answer: (B)

James Meredith's enrollment at the University of Mississippi in 1962, and the federal protection that made it possible, is the focal event. Meredith became the first Black student admitted to Ole Miss after a federal court ordered the university to desegregate and allow him to enroll. However, the state and its governor resisted, leading to a tense stand-off. To enforce the court order and ensure Meredith could register, President John F. Kennedy federalized the Mississippi National Guard and ultimately sent U.S. Army troops to the campus. This federal intervention secured his enrollment, even as mobs rioted outside. The other options don’t fit because they misstate or oversimplify what happened: a scholarship abroad wasn’t involved; the act was not merely a peaceful protest that ended segregation; and desegregation did not happen instantly across all Mississippi facilities.