Meridian Incident

The Meridian Incident also known as the Meridian Massacre was a civil confrontation between the Mississippi National Guard and civil rights protesters led by Coretta Scott King. King sought to emulate the Selma to Montgomery Marches that her husband led by leading protesters from Tuscaloosa, Alabama to Rochefort, Mississippi. President George Wallace aimed to end the civil rights protests rather brutally, in hopes that it will stop further protests of this kind. After Mississippi Governor Jacques Valentino denied Wallace's request to have the protesters stopped in Meridian, Wallace nationalized the Mississippi National Guard. Wallace ordered the national guard to prevent the protesters from passing C.S. Highway 45 as they moved west along C.S. 80. At 2:37 PM, the protesters attempted to cross CS 45 peacefully. The National Guard was successful at keeping a bulk of the protesters from nearing the intersection by threatening to use force. Some protesters attempted to go around the intersection but were met by more National Guardsmen. At 2:43, a group of 137 protesters attempted to storm the National Guard position at the intersection. The Guard then used a combination of tear gas, fire hoses, and other methods to try to keep the protesters back. When further protesters began to try and storm the guardsmen they opened fire, killing 12 and injuring 54. Most of the protesters then began to leave Meridian to the east for fear of their lives.

The incident sparked national outrage and international attention. Most moderates on the issue of desegregation soon began to support the idea, and even some supporters began to question its viability in the long term. Historians point to the Meridian Incident as a turning point in the Civil Rights era where most Carolinians began to vaguely support civil rights for African-Carolinian's. An investigation into the incident showed that President George Wallace had personally ordered the guardsmen to use excessive force against the protesters. Public support for Wallace plummeted which caused him to lose the 1972 Presidential election to Jimmy Carter. The incident also attracted international attention. The United States, United Kingdom, France, West Germany and Canada all exerted pressure to prevent Carolina from becoming another South Africa. Valentino became popular for denying Wallace's request and became Vice-President in 1972.