Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Bombing Research Paper

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.

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

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.

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.

One was absent due to earlier funeral arrangements, but all of the girls were remembered. Famous people from the civil rights movement attended, including the father of the act, Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. Martin gave a speech. His amazing speech was a breathtaking and marvelous way to tribute the deaths. But, Martin was a clever man. He knew that eyes and ears were on him. He knew that like all the others, this speech doubled as a pep talk to all in the fight, and it did well. “...history has proven over and over again that unmerited suffering is redemptive. The innocent blood of these little girls may well serve as a redemptive force (Yeah) that will bring new light to this dark city”. That line professionally states that because of their death, new opportunities have been created for the likeness of the non-segregation side of the quarrel. The drive in the citizens was at max; both for and not to segregation. It was time for that spirit to be set free and for change to

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.

Even as the inspiring words of Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech rang out from the Lincoln Memorial during the historic march on Washington in August of 1963; racial relations in the segregated South were marked by continued acts of violence and inequality. On September 15th a bomb exploded before Sunday Morning services at the 16th street Baptist in Burmington, Alabama- a church with a predominantly black congregation that served as a meeting place for civil rights leaders. Four young girls, aged 11 to 14, Denise McNair, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, and Addie

These are the men that were responsible for bombing The 16th street Baptist church in 1963. They finally got arrested in 2002.

The Charleston church shooting was a shooting that took place at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, United States, on June 17, 2015. The FBI said Dylann Roof the man that killed nine African American at the church in Charleston should not have been able to buy a gun. Dylan Roof illegally bought a 45 caliber glock handgun on april 11 2015.

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).

The 1960s were an extremely difficult time for African Americans living in Southern United States. The peak of the civil rights movement, many laws and regulations were passed in the 1960s to protect blacks living in states such as Mississippi. Actions by whites in the south such as the murders of Michael Schwerner, James Earl Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Emmet Till, the Freedom Summer movement, and the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party’s delegate challenge at the 1964 Democratic party convention proved civil rights legislation was needed in the south by demonstrating to the public how unfair the living system was for African Americans in the south. While driving through Mississippi to investigate the burning of a black church, two white

the protesters at this demonstration, “police were attacking men, women and children without discrimination.” (7) After this event, the civil rights movement occurred to help black people gain power and to minimise segregation in our culture and society. A large march was created led by Martin Luther King Jr and many other black political leaders of this era. (7) During this march civil right activists were attacked by police in a terrible way and killed for trying to share their opinions. (7) These protesters were protesting the death of an innocent black man killed by the police, Jimmie Lee Jackson. (7) Policemen attacked these protesters with guns and federal defense provided to them by the government along with tear gas bombs. (7) Not only was this march a stand up for Jimmie Lee Jackson but for black citizens voting rights. (8) This march raised awareness to the government and many white citizens that our country was still segregated at the time even though slavery was

A well-known sense of community for the United States is the annual Boston Marathon. April 15th 2013 the city of Boston prepared for its race, but there was no way that it could have prepared for the tragic events which would rattle the entire country. Two pressure cooker bombs were detonated at 2:49 pm near the finish line amongst hundreds of spectators and athletes. The attacks resulted in six losses of life and over two hundred fifty injuries. Many questioned who the evil mastermind was behind this harrowing attack since it was the first terror attack on US soil since nine eleven. The two responsible for the slaughter are Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. The term evil is often used to describe one who commits an outrageous and morally corrupt act,

The public was able to witness for the first time the violence and police brutality used against many civil rights activist. The majority of the civil rights demonstrators in Alabama that day were high school students. The pictures of these children being attacked by dogs and sprayed with water from high-powered fire hoses were very disturbing and shocking to most viewers. It gave a more accurate and sympathetic account; one that the public hadn’t seen before,