This work investigates the 1962 integration crisis at the University of Mississippi as a pivotal confrontation between federal authority and the doctrine of states' rights. Frank Lambert, a professor of history, utilizes archival records, contemporary news reports, and personal accounts to reconstruct the events surrounding James Meredith's enrollment. The book argues that the conflict served as a microcosm for the broader struggle over racial equality and the limits of federal intervention in the American South.

Historians and scholars of the American South frequently cite this text for its meticulous documentation of the administrative and legal pressures during the integration process. Readers often note the clarity with which the author navigates the complex political landscape of the early 1960s.