Birmingham Alabama 1963 Research Paper

stop of direct action type protest in Birmingham, Alabama that Martin Luther King was leading.

One hundred years after the Emancipation Proclamation was written, African Americans were still fighting for equal rights in every day life. The first real success of this movement did not come until the Brown vs. Board of Education decision in 1954 which was followed by many boycotts and protests. The largest of these protests, the March on Washington, was held on August 28, 1963 “for jobs and freedom” (March on Washington 11). An incredible amount of preparation went into the event to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of people attending from around the nation and to deal with any potential incidents.

Alabama was often the epicenter of civil rights activism and steadfast perseverance for African Americans during the 1960s. It is where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led his congregation and where four little girls were murdered and 22 citizens were injured when the 16th Street Baptist Church was bombed. It is also where Dr. King and other activists planned the march on Washington, where he and others leaders like John Lewis were met with violence but ultimately claimed victory in the Selma to Montgomery March of 1965. And who could forget the powerful images of the Birmingham Children’s Crusade of 1963, where young, non-violent protesters were met with high-power water hoses, beaten with batons and threatened by police

Hook: In the days of August 1963, Martin Luther king Jr did a march down a Washington D.C street that was very important to the united states to stop most legalized segregation. This was the point of discrimination that Martin Luther King Jr has faced.

In a march against segregation and barriers for African-American voting rights, peaceful marchers were exposed to harsh treatment by the police, 50 being hospitalized by the terrorism inflicted on them (civilrights.org). The targeted protest became infamous in the Civil Rights Movement, marked “Bloody Sunday” and was crucial to gaining favor of the public (civilrights.org). The two causes went hand in hand in this, rocketing in support and becoming the main goal of the country - the end of segregation was the most dire problem that the Civil Rights Movement needed to solve. And with the 24th Amendment, Civil Rights Act of 1964, and Voting Rights Act of 1965 being ratified, the civil rights movement and the fight to end segregation reached its legal goal (infoplease.com). However, the nation’s mentality needed work - though the popularity of Civil Rights was rising, many riots and racial hate crimes continued to occur throughout the country, with many casualties resulting from them (infoplease.com). The ratification of these laws may have made the “separate but equal” rhetoric illegal for the U.S. but the citizens inside it still battled for their beliefs. As segregation and civil rights become national topics, their

Laws and additional rights started to change due to the events of “Bloody Sunday,” on March 7th, 1965 in Selma, Alabama. What started as a fifty-four mile march to the Alabama’s capital protesting for African American voting rights, soon became a brutal assault by heavily armed state troopers and deputies. Fifty of the

In 1965, there was nothing as dangerous as a nighttime protest in Alabama. Violence against Civil Right workers, marchers, peaceful protestors, could happen at anytime and the 500 people coming from the sanctuary of Zion United Methodist Church Feb. 18, 1965, were aware of it. Yet they

“There never was a moment in American history more honorable and more inspiring than the pilgrimage of clergymen and laymen of every race and faith pouring into Selma to face danger at the side of its embattled Negroes ”… These words said by Martin Luther King Jr. marked a new dawn for African Americans and their right to freedom as citizens of the United States. The march from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, Alabama brought equality to blacks and changed the course of American history.

On April 3 the campaign began with lunch-counter sit-ins. On April 6, protestors marched at City Hall; forty-two people were arrested. They had demonstrations each day after. Jails filled with peaceful blacks. King negotiated with white businessmen, because their stores were losing business because of the protests. Some of the businessmen were willing to consider desegregating their businesses and hiring African Americans but City officials upheld their segregationist policies. On April 10, they obtained an injunction to prohibit the demonstrations. This injunction came from a state court, not the usual federal court. King violated the injunction by adhering to the federal laws. (Spark Note, 2005)

Selma, a fictional movie based on true events, debuted in 2014 and narrates King’s efforts to acquire voting rights for blacks. The movie mainly takes place in Selma, Alabama, hence the movie’s title. King rallied supporters in Selma to organize a march to Montgomery, the capitol of Alabama. The movie primarily focuses on King and his supporters, and their struggle against the racism of white oppressors. The fight was certainly not easy, and many supporters in the march faced extreme discrimination and violence. Annie Lee Cooper, who played a significant role in both the movie and the actual movement, had her voter registration form

In March 1965 a group of African Americans marched from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. In protest of black people being denied the right to vote in some places in the South. Rosa was watching the march from her home in Detroit. She witnessed white Alabama State Troopers brutally attack the marchers. Martin Luther King

The name “Selma” was used to describe the three marches from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965. The march contributed to the passing of the Voting Rights Act. This was during the time period of the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Citizens marched from Selma to Montgomery to show that they wanted their right to vote just like every other citizen in America. There was big reluctance in the South to allow voters of color to exercise their right. Racial tensions were high as the South was still a part of the country filled with much discrimination. Selma made many great strides for African Americans and was considered a great step forward in the civil rights movement. While Selma made a great impact back in 1965, there have been

Man Narrator: On 7 January 1966, Martin Luther King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference announced plans for the Chicago Freedom Movement, a campaign that marked the expansion of their civil rights activities from the South to northern cities.

In 1955, following the arrest of Rosa Parks, the people of Montgomery found strength together and boycotted the bus system. This peaceful protest lasted over a year, and ended successfully with an order from the Supreme Court demanding the buses to be integrated. With a definite cause, African Americans came together and battled for change to create a society with more racial equality and respect. It is undeniable that peaceful resistance has a positive impact on free society as it is unifying, effective, and highlights the principles of democracy.

The United States of America, a country viewed by many as glorious and opportunistic, endured moments in history that shall never be forgotten. Since the beginning of the Civil War in the 1800s, the act to end slavery was gruesome and horrifying. A war was fought between the free and slave states to eradicate slavery in the country for ever. In the year 1865, slavery was abolished, nonetheless, the evil in many Confederate cities and states was still alive. Selma is a breath-taking movie about Martin Luther King Jr. and his fight against this evil. With death threats sent to his home, and his own followers beaten by troopers, Dr. King never backed down.