Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Bombing 1963

In 1963, a month after Martin Luther King’s I have a dream speech rang harmonies of freedom and equality throughout the United States, Klan members set off dynamite in the sixteenth Baptist Church. The resulting explosion and compromise in the integrity of the building killed four girls. These girls, Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, and Denise McNarr were the victims of this atrocity. The events that followed furthered the bloodshed. Thousands of black protestors flooded the streets in protest of the horrific acta that took place in the sixteenth Baptist street church [2]. It was not until 2001 and 2002 when some of the men responsible for the crimes would be prosecuted and eventually convicted. Though the intent of the bombing was to instill fear and panic into the black community, what came about was unity and a call to action.

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

McVeigh and Nichols saw an opportunity to destroy a building full of innocent people, because of their extremist mindset. They decided tp destroy a building full of innocent people who work because of their extremist ways. Something that was seemingly odd was that McVeigh was a Persian Gulf war veteran and Nichols was his military friend. A third man whose name was Michael Fortier also had information regarding the detonation of the bomb at the building, Fortier later plead guilty for harboring information of the explosion.

Said Martin Luther King Jr. after the Birmingham Bombing (“16th Street Baptist Church”). The 1963 Birmingham Church Bombing was a devastating event. Lives were lost and you were defined by your skin color.

The 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing on September 15, 1963 has been one of the most historic bombing in the African American community. Since then, the Spike Lee’s Four Little Girls film and the poem, Ballad of Birmingham, have been created to commemorate the event and the loss of the four beautiful young girls. Both have received awards for their outstanding and thoughtful works that both artist put into their projects. The movie, Four Little Girls, was a very stimulating movie because it was not your typical scripted play. It was a documentary of all the family, friends, and community that were affected by this event. On the other hand, the poem, Ballad of Birmingham, was very eye opening because it put a new perspective of the church bombing.

In 1963, four children were killed in the bombing of Birmingham’s Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. Martin Luther King and Eugene Patterson both delivered eulogies after the deaths of Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Cynthia Diane Wesley, and Carole Robertson. The death of these children were not in vain. They aided Congress to pass the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Both eulogies have sentiments of hope and responsibility and use repetition.

The bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama was the most influential event in the Civil Rights movement. At 10:22 a.m. on September 15, 1963, a bomb exploded in the church and four young, black girls were found dead. This is the most influential event in the Civil Rights movement because the protests and outrage that followed the bombing helped increase support for the struggle to end segregation. This increased support led to both the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act being passed.

These are the four little girls that had died in the bombing of The 16th street Baptist church. Their names were Addi Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, and Carol Denise.

In 1963, Martin Luther King became the most known civil right leader of his time. During this time Martin Luther King gave a speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington. Many whites in the south at this time did not see any racial harmony that King spoke of that would happen (Black History Timeline). Not long after some white supremacist bombed a Baptist church in Birmingham, Alabama killing four young African American girls. The church bombing was the third one Birmingham had in eleven days. This happened a few days after the government started to integrate schools. This was a dangerous time and area to integrate because Birmingham, Alabama had one of the most dangerous and strongest leading KKK (Black History Timeline).

On the early morning of Sunday, September 15th 1963 in Birmingham, Alabama four members of the KKK planted a minimum of 15 sticks of dynamite under the steps of the 16th Street Baptist church, close to the basement. At 10:22 a.m. the 16th Street Baptist Church received a phone call from an anonymous man who simply said “Three minutes,” before hanging up. Less than a minute of the call, the bombs exploded as there were five children present within the basement of the church. Out of the 5 children who were in the basement 4 of them died from the explosion 14 year old Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley, and 11 year old Carol Denise McNair. More than 20 other additional people were injured in the explosion, one of them being Sarah

King writes, “There have been more unsolved bombings of Negro homes and churches in Birmingham than in any city in this nation,” (Luther King Jr) creating a reason to have an opinion about his cause of social equality for African Americans by adding facts and as well as comparisons to shed light over the imperial topic. In a few other regions of his letter he mentions other occurrences that relay on the same topic such as, “the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights agreed to call a moratorium on any type of demonstrations. As the weeks and months unfolded we realized that we were the victims of a broken promise,” (Luther King Jr) which only fueled the already burning fire of thought brought into the minds of the nation’s masses. (Insert author) says, "(insert quote" King's writing is one of the most effective pieces, because of the level of the writing he inputs to generate spiritual thoughts.

It was on the day of August 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial where about 200,000 people or even more, gathered after the March on Washington. Dr. Martin Luther King administered his famous speech: I have a Dream to America. This is where he spoke about the inequity and segregation of African Americans. King incorporates the following rhetorical strategies: Ethos, Logos, and Pathos into his speech by showing the rest of America what was going on.

The victims of the bombing, Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carol Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley, were young, innocent girls who died untimely deaths. Addie Mae Collins had seven siblings, and enjoyed singing in the church choir and playing hopscotch. Denise McNair helped organize neighborhood fundraisers, and would leave mud pies in the mailboxes of the boys she had a crush on. Carol Robertson loved attending her dance classes on Saturday afternoons, and would take lessons in modern jazz, tap, and ballet. Cynthia Wesley was always laughing, and excelled at school in the subjects of math, reading, and band.

Martin Luther king Jr. had become successful with the boycott that other civil right activist in ministers had founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) this was known as a group achieving full equality for African Americans through a nonviolent protest. King, worked with a few civil rights and religious groups who helped organized the March on Washington. This was for jobs, and freedoms. This was to help shed the light on African Americans injustices. Around 1964, The Civil Rights Act was passed. Martin Luther King Jr. was most famous for his speech, “I Have a Dream” his speech was called for peace and equality that many would consider a masterpiece. On April 4, 1968 King was assassinated. King will always be remembered for his speeches. On the third Monday during the month of January is a U.S. holiday to honor him. King, had a vision of changing the world in a positive way.

The coffee shop where the first bomb went off is owned by Catherine and George Theodorakis. The bomb went off in the kitchen. Thankfully no one was injured except for some cans of tomato sauce. The Chinese resteraunt where the second bomb went off is owned by Sun Lin and Shin Hoo. The bomb went off in the kitchen. This time Sydelle Pulaski, a resident of Sunset Towers, was injured. She