The Importance Of African-Americans In The Film Selma March

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,

Many African Americans would have separate schools, bus seats, and even fountain drinks for the “colored”. If an African American would ever break these “laws”, they were either jailed, beaten, or killed for it. In response, many Africans saw the negative effects of violence and instead of choosing to fight back violently, they chose to protest through “nonviolence [,] as it grows from Judaic-Christian traditions [and] seeks a social order of justice permeated by love” (Doc. A). Many African Americans believed that through nonviolence it would help benefit the fight for equality because it would help them gain sympathy and support from the people through the sight violence being used on peaceful people. However, many African American’s were getting frustrated at how long it was taking to gain equality, protection of civil rights, and justice in courts so many thought that the time had “come for black people to arm themselves against [violence] before it [was] too late” (Doc. F) Many African Americans then started to turn to violence to try to push the fight for equality, but this was ultimately a disastrous decision because this caused the Civil Rights Movement to lose a lot of support they had from the

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

During the 1960’s, racism was still a prominent problem in America. The Civil Rights Movement was under way. African Americans were fighting for their basic human rights. One of the most notable figures of the Civil Rights Movement was Martin Luther King Jr. He fought for African American’s rights using nonviolent resistance; however, during a protest in Birmingham, Alabama, Dr. King was thrown into jail. While in his jail cell, Dr. King wrote a letter to clergymen from the Birmingham jail claiming his stance on peaceful confrontation on defending African American’s human rights. In his letter, Dr. King uses rhetorical devices to strengthen his argument in his letter to the clergymen. In Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham

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

King had a vision that one day all races would be treated equally. Being the educated man that he was, receiving his Doctorate from Boston University, Dr. King never saw failure as an option. King was a third generation Baptist Minister and was the Leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Dr. King was from the South and was very familiar with the city of Birmingham which was known as the most violently segregated city in the United States. An affiliate of Dr. King’s invited him to Birmingham to engage in a nonviolent protest to which he agreed. During the nonviolent protest Dr. King was arrested for protesting without a permit. While in a Birmingham County jail cell Martin Luther King explains issues within the past day’s society that needed to be addressed including the church, the white moderates, and how he had been labeled an extremist.

During the march on Washington D.C the blacks thought of many ways to ward of people who would try to stop them, but instead what they did was they just stayed calm. In my reading of the same author, Shmuel Ross stated “ attack dogs and fire hoses were turned against protestors, many of whom were in their early teens or younger. Martin Luther King, Jr., was arrested and jailed during these protests” which means that Martin luther King Jr was not even going to try to force himself out of the mess that he so happily made with his fellow friends of the blocking for the worst Jim crow laws in the United States of America . these stories i hear about including Martin luther King Jr always finds a way to make me think about how it must of been to be ruffed out through childhood.

Many people turned to violence during this time, but Martin Luther King, Jr., a legendary front-runner of this movement, advocated for peace. In his “I Have a Dream” speech, one that is still quoted by American citizens today, he voiced his wish that “one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will he able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers” (King). Rather than using his position of power to communicate rage to the masses of people gathered before him, King relayed messages of optimism. As a result, the Civil Rights movement was one built on the notion that peaceful resistance was the key to equality. The Montgomery bus boycott, marches in Selma, Birmingham, and Washington, D.C. were all intentionally nonviolent. Protesters, calm in the face of brutal police retaliation in order to defend their rights, eventually achieved equality under the law (Simkins). Footage from the “Bloody Sunday” march in Selma, displaying passive African-American protesters being beaten down by police, was rapidly spread through the media, eventually reaching President Lyndon B. Johnson and motivating him to take action against racism, passing measures such as the 1965 Voting Rights Act (History.com) Though radical protesters did resort to violence during the movement, we remember it and teach it for its emphasis on

King Jr. continued to endure the hardships, he would soon find out that he would be rewarded for his perseverance, when society was soon affected in a positive way. During the protests police ordered violent acts to stop the protesters and many protesters were jailed. The violent police acts were shown on television. The actions taken horrified many Americans (Marazani 3). Since the unjust acts were finally being televised, citizens of the United States, were now actually seeing and realizing the cruel actions that were being taken against protesters, by American officers. Now that America was finally realizing the harsh acts against African American protestors, Dr. King Jr’s goal of ending segregation was almost accomplished by making the problem known throughout America. Since all of America now knew about the brutality that police were enforcing against African Americans, there was an outrage and an agreement was reached and employers agreed to desegregate public places, and employ African Americans (Birmingham 3). Therefore the demonstrations finally came to an end now that Dr King Jr’s goal had finally been achieved. Dr. King Jr. and the protests had successfully desegregated the city of Birmingham, as well as achieving rights of equality for African Americans. However this would not have been possible without the Letters from the Birmingham

As we celebrate Martin Luther King Day and Black History Month, Blacks have made huge strides although coming from a past of inequality. I wasn’t particularly interested in seeing Selma because I knew what it represented. I feared to cry and get emotional over the hardships of post-slavery and the battles of the Civil Rights Movement. I knew it was going to be gruesome to watch because of its vivid depiction of how our nation used to be and a touch of reality of how it continues to become.

The Civil Rights Movement began in order to bring equal rights and equal voting rights to black citizens of the US. This was accomplished through persistent demonstrations, one of these being the Selma-Montgomery March. This march, lead by Martin Luther King Jr., targeted at the disenfranchisement of negroes in Alabama due to the literacy tests. Tension from the governor and state troopers of Alabama led the state, and the whole nation, to be caught in the violent chaos caused by protests and riots by marchers. However, this did not prevent the March from Selma to Montgomery to accomplish its goals abolishing the literacy tests and allowing black citizens the right to vote.

Selma, a 2014 film directed by Ava DuVernay, follows Martin Luther King Jr.’s campaign during the Civil Rights Movement. The film hones in on the historical march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965 which King organized as a Civil Rights protest.1 When initially watching the film, it seems as though Selma does an appreciable job of depicting the challenges in which African Americans endured while advocating for their rights, particularly the right to vote. While there is no doubt that African Americans during this time suffered great hardships, upon further research, it can be argued that Selma does not depict how these events transpired in an entirely accurate manner. The film uses heart-wrenching dramatization to evoke a sense of emotion from

In the movie Selma, directed by Ava DuVernay showcases a lot of social injustice during the 1960 's. The portion of the film that I focused on in Selma was the migration scene, which is about seventy minutes into the movie. Within the migration scene from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, several cinematic devices play a pivotal role in understanding why white supremacist attacked black people during the 1960 's. The scene showcases a group of African Americans that band together from the city of Selma and wants to march in a peaceful manner to Montgomery, Alabama. However, their movement was halted when police block the town 's bridge. The townspeople decide not to back down and want to continue their migration; however, the police argue that if they do not return home, the cops will assault them. This leads to the simple assault of African Americans by white supremacist American cops, which was documented by an undercover news reporter. The scene cuts back and forth between the rioting between the blacks and police and shouting and yelling of Caucasian supremacist bystanders that proudly showcase their Confederate flag and racial slurs. During the whole debacle, the song "Walk with Us" by Martha Bass is played and has considerable importance for African Americans at this time. This scene shows that there is a long-standing racism against African Americans from white supremacist Southerners and only became more riled up with the equal rights movement in the 1960 's. Ava

Selma is based on a true story that happened in 1965 in Selma, Alabama. Selma was the city that ended suffrage for African Americans because of Rev Martin Luther king and the help from his Christian family. The movie has some intense violence and a lot of foul language, but overall is mainly about Christian and moral content. Even though the Civil Rights Act of 1964 desegregated in certain areas. It made it more difficult for black to register to vote. In 1964 Rev Martin Luther king receives a Noble Pace Prize. The Civil Rights Act was outlaw segregation in all 50 states, but African Americans where still having trouble at that time. Martin decides voting should be there next fight. So, they march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.

In April and May of 1963, Birmingham, Alabama was a focal point for the civil rights movement. Birmingham was home to one of the most violent cells of the KKK and violence against black people was so commonplace (especially in the form of explosives) that it was referred to as “Bombingham.” It was these conditions that lead Martin Luther King to arrive and organize a series of non-violent protests in the city. These protests were relatively low key and weren’t very well attended. This was due to the fact that political rivalries between King’s organization, the SCLC, and other civil right’s organizations like CORE and the NAACP. However, the Birmingham protests soon became headlines due to the response of the city’s police