Primary Sources: The American South: Mississippi

"University of Mississippi's Civil Rights Archive contains digitized versions of small (generally one box or less) collections related to the struggle for civil rights in Mississippi and the American South. Collections date from Reconstruction to the late 20th century. Major topics represented include the Freedmen's Bureau, school integration, voter registration, labor, and religious activism."

FBI files on the murders of three civil rights workers in Mississippi in 1964 (Chaney, Schwerner & Goodman)

"Disclaimer: Much of the anti-Integration correspondence in this collection contains racial slurs and death threats.



Correspondence in this digital collection originates in the James Howard Meredith Collection and pertains solely to his presence at the University of Mississippi. Written from across the world in 1962-1963, these materials contain pro- and anti-Integration sentiment. The items housed at the University of Mississippi Archives & Special Collections represent a fraction of the correspondence Meredith received during his time in Oxford, MS. This collection does not include personal and business correspondence from the Meredith Collection."

"In January 1961, James Howard Meredith applied for admission to the University of Mississippi, receiving a letter of rejection on 25 May 1961. Following eighteen months of legal battles, the United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of Meredith on 10 September 1962, permitting his admission. Throughout September, Governor Ross Barnett attempted to prevent his enrollment. On 30 September 1962, Meredith arrived at the University of Mississippi campus to enroll. A riot erupted on the night of Meredith's arrival during which a white crowd attacked United States Marshals sent to protect Meredith; the arrival of federal troops ended the violence in the early hours of 1 October 1962; two bystanders were killed, 206 marshals and soldiers were wounded and 200 people were arrested during the riot. Meredith officially registered for classes in October 1962 becoming the first African-American student at the University of Mississippi."

"The extensive collections at the Library of Congress contain historic artifacts and cultural materials from across the U.S. "

MDAH Digital Archives include:
electronic records received from government agencies and officials; donated and acquired electronic resources; digital copies of original materials from MDAH collections, including paper documents, photographs, maps, audio, and video

"The Mississippi Education Collection contains articles, newsletters, and miscellaneous documents related to education in Mississippi. Items were created between 1924 and 2000. The collection has been digitized in its entirety."

Collections cover topics such as: music, politics, agriculture and the university's history.

Designed to make "research quality digital collections of texts, images, and audio materials" available for scholars.

"Topics include civil rights, politics, agriculture and farming, journalism, religion, veterans, and more. This collection holds over 700 digitized oral histories that document the life and culture of Mississippians."