Fifty years ago, black man James Meredith matriculated at the University of Mississippi after a lengthy legal battle with school administrators and state politicians. The governor of Mississippi himself, Ross Barnett, chastised President John F. Kennedy and Attorney General Robert Kennedy's support of Meredith as "evil and illegal forces of tyranny." Thousands of soldiers were deployed to ensure Meredith's safe entry onto campus, which led to a riot that killed two and injured hundreds. In the end, despite all the anger and violence, Meredith entered classes at Ole Miss and graduated in 1963 with a degree in political science.