Alabama Civil Rights Movement Essay

The happenings in Selma, Alabama during the year 1965, served as a catalyst to the Voting Rights Act, which eliminated any discrimination at the polls all over America, and the catalyst for these happenings in Selma was Jimmie Lee Jackson. The historical drama, Selma, tells the story of Selma, Alabama in 1965. It is not a documentary therefore, some details were changed, exaggerated or left out due to the fact that this is a historical drama. The movie, Selma, serves the purpose of showing the events in Selma and how they influenced the conclusion of the movie, the passing of the Voting Rights Act by Lyndon B. Johnson. This film is considered a drama therefore, some things are dramatized to compel the audience to feel a certain way, however,

The African American made hard efforts to achieve the same civil rights that the white Americans had, like voting rights and non-discrimination at organizations. The significant advances were made in 1920s and 1950s; however, they become successful in achieving their major rights in 1960s and so considered as the major turning point in history of America. The march by African American in 1963 influenced the behaviour of white American and the Martin Luther King also added inspirational comments about the African Americans in his speech and provided them with hope of approval of civil rights and one year later in 1964, Civil Rights Act was passed.

A: INTRO: In 1965, Martin Luther King and the southern Christian Leadership group made Selma, and Alabama the focus of their efforts to register Black people to vote. That March 1965, protesters were attempting to march from Selma to the State Capital of Montgomery. As the world watched the protest go on. King’s participation helped raise awareness of difficulty faced by Black voters. The need for a voting rights ACT, passed later that year.

The Selma to Montgomery March influenced Lyndon B. Johnson to pass the Voting Rights Act to gain the voting equality in the South.

July 6, 1964: President Lyndon B. Johnson signs The Civil Rights Act, which prohibits racial discrimination and mentions the use of “affirmative action to overcome the effects of prior discrimination.”

The brutality from this event can be summarized by one marcher who was reported saying, “My God, we’re being killed.” This malevolent act sent the entire nation in an uproar, sparking riots in major US cites and even in Toronto. The protests and riots gained so much popular support as to gain the attention of President Lyndon B. Johnson, who declared that he “deplored the brutality.” King was also determined to march from Selma to Montgomery in order to present the governor with the proposal for voting rights and to continue fighting the oppression (“Central Point” 24).

“We must live together as brothers or perish together as fools”( Martin Luther King Jr.). Between 1961 and 1964, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) led a voter registration campaign in Selma, Alabama. It was a small town with a record of consistent resistance to black voting and black people in general. Between 17 and 50 people were injured in the first march known as “Bloody Sunday,” with one woman, Amelia Boynton nearly beat to death. Members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) were persuaded by local activities to make Selma’s intransigence to African Americans voting. There were six hundred marchers assembled in Selma on Sunday, March 7. The march to Selma, Alabama was one of the most historically

The march from Selma to Montgomery took place in 1965. 1965 was the peak of the Civil rights movement and ultimately when it ended after the passage of two key new laws. African Americans had endured

He led more than 2,000 marchers, including hundreds of clergy who had answered King’s call on short notice, to the site of Sunday’s attack, then stopped and asked them to kneel and pray. After prayers they rose and turned the march back to Selma, avoiding another confrontation with state troopers and skirting the issue of whether to obey Judge Johnson’s court order. Many marchers were critical of King’s unexpected decision not to push on to Montgomery, but the restraint gained support from President Johnson, who issued a public statement: “Americans everywhere join in deploring the brutality with which a number of Negro citizens of Alabama were treated when they sought to dramatize their deep and sincere interest in attaining the precious right to vote. Johnson promised to introduce a voting rights bill to Congress within a few days.

On 25 March 1965, Martin Luther King led thousands of peaceful demonstrators to the steps ofthe capitol in Montgomery, Alabama, after a 5-day, 54-mile march from Selma, Alabama, wherelocal African Americans, the Student Peaceful Coordinating Committee and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference had been working hard (publicly) for voting rights. King told thegrouped together crowd: ''There never was a moment in American history more honorable and more motivating/bringing about than the holy trip of (priests, bishops, deacons, etc.) andordinary people of every race and faith pouring into Selma to face danger at the side of its(involved in a fight/beat-up) Negroes'' (King, ''Address at the End of/final opinion of the Selma toMontgomery March,''

The film Selma focuses on the struggle for african-americans who still faced discrimination, even though the Civil Rights Act of 1964 had legally desegregated the South. In 1965, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. fought alongside other civil rights activist to make the march from Selma to Montgomery, despite opposition from the police and mobs. The film focuses on MLK and other SCLC leaders, and black Selma residents who march to register for their right to vote. However, they are often met with force by the white crowds and police who often stop them with violence and even fatal deaths for the peaceful protesters. As MLK, the SCLC, the SNCC and other marchers prepare the Selma to Montgomery March across the EDmund Pettus Bridge, they are brutally

This march was part of series of civil-rights protest in Alabama during 1965. During these times there were very racist people and racist policies. Registered black voters in the south was involved in the 54 mile march from Selma to the state capital of Montgomery. When they reached Montgomery they were encountered by deadly violence from local authorities. The protesters were under protection of the national guard. They finally reached their goal. Martin luther king Jr., student nonviolent coordinating committee (SNCC) and the southern christian leadership conference (SCLC) all participated in the march. On March 21st US Army joined and federalized alabama national guardsmen escorted them across the Edmund pettus Bridge and down highway

The African- American civil rights movement started in 1954, and although the civil rights act was signed in 1964, and was meant to prohibit discrimination in both public and private places, equality still wasn't present in many aspects of American life. African-American's still didn't have equal voting rights, in order to protest against this, Freedom Summer workers registered people in Mississippi to vote, after this Martin Luther King "launched" a march for voting rights in Selma, Alabama in January, 1965. The voting act that was eventually passed gave the federal government the power to oversee voting in states where discrimination was practised, which was primarily in the south. In the mid 1960's America was divided on the issue of civil rights. This was especially evident through the views in regards to the proposed voting rights act of 1965. The aim of the act was to overcome the legal barriers, such as unreasonable tests that were given to African American's when they tried to register for voting. The two approaches seen in the documents are one that is more legal and evidence based and therefore logical, this refers to document 2A, a statement by Attorney General Katzenbach. The other, document 2B, is a statement by Attorney General Button, is an approach that is far more emotional and passionate and thus somewhat biased. It is focused on the disadvantages for the individual state, as he is the Attorney General for the state of Virginia, therefore it is only

As a matter of fact, on March 7, 1965, began the Selma Protest, it was a protest consisting of 600 colored people to demand fairness in voter registration. Discrimination and

The beginning of the Civil Rights movement started in 1948 when president Truman signed Executive order number 9981 which stated that the armed forces had to treat all races, colors religion and national origin the same. Ensuring that finally African Americans would finally be treated equal while risking their lives for their country. Then in 1954 Brown v. Board of Education went to the Supreme Court, and the court ruled that segregation was unconstitutional, allowing for desegregation of the United States. The ruling annulled the previous Plessy v. Ferguson, which stated separate but equal facilities; the courts said when separate it is almost certainly not equal. On December 1st 1945 Rosa Parks Refused to move to the back of the bus to let a white person sit, she was arrested and her arrest inspired the Montgomery bus boycott. The African American society refused to ride the buses, and the president of the Montgomery Improvement Association led the boycott, his name was Martin Luther King Jr. While the bus boycott would last for a year until the buses were desegregated, King would preach the method of civil disobedience and non-violent protests, just like Gandhi used in India to gain freedoms for his people. In 1957 the Governor of Arkansas had to send in the National Guard to integrate a white high school in Little Rock Arkansas. This showed how much resistance African Americans had to