On June 5, 1966, James Meredith, who four years earlier had integrated the University of Mississippi amidst riots, began a lone civil rights march from Memphis to Jackson in an attempt to encourage African Americans to register and vote. On the second day of his trip he was shot and wounded by a lone sniper.

Rather than end the demonstration, the shooting became a catalyst for supporters to join the march. Thousands of people marched along the 220 mile route and nearly 3,000 voters were registered along the way.

In Canton, marchers met violent retribution at the hands of the Mississippi Highway Patrol. Still, the "Meredith March Against Fear" made it to Jackson, where 15,000 people gathered in the largest mass protest in Mississippi history.