Selma to Montgomery marches facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Selma to Montgomery marches
Part of the civil rights movement
Alabama Highway Patrol troopers attack civil rights demonstrators outside Selma, Alabama, on Bloody Sunday, March 7, 1965.
Date	March 7–25, 1965 (19 days)
Location	Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church, Edmund Pettus Bridge, U.S. Route 80, Haisten's Mattress & Awning Company, Alabama State Capitol, Selma and Montgomery, Alabama
Caused by	Murder of Jimmie Lee Jackson African Americans obstructed from registering to vote Failed voter registration campaign
Resulted in	Speech "The American Promise" delivered by Lyndon B. Johnson as Special Message before Congress Introduction of Senate bill 1964, a voting rights bill, in the 89th United States Congress Hastened passage of voting rights bill in Congress Speech "How Long? Not Long" delivered by Martin Luther King Jr. at the Alabama State Capitol
Parties to the civil conflict
Dallas County Voters League (DCVL) Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) State of Alabama Governor of Alabama Department of Public Safety Dallas County Circuit Court Dallas County Sheriff Board of Registrar Mayor of Selma Selma Department of Safety Dallas County Citizens' Council
Lead figures
SCLC members James Bevel Martin Luther King Jr. Diane Nash James Orange Richard C. Boone Hosea Williams DCVL members Ulysses S. Blackmon Sr. Amelia Boynton Samuel Boynton Bruce Boynton Joseph Ellwanger Rev. Frederick Reese Rev. L. L. Anderson J. L. Chestnut Annie Lee Cooper Marie Foster James E. Gildersleeve SNCC members Stokely Carmichael James Forman Prathia Hall Bernard Lafayette John Lewis State of Alabama George Wallace, Governor Albert J. Lingo, Director of the Alabama Department of Public Safety Major John Cloud, Commander of Alabama State Troopers Dallas County Judge James Hare, Circuit Court Jim Clark, Sheriff of Dallas County J. P. Majors, Dallas County Registrar City of Selma Joseph Smitherman, mayor Wilson Baker, Public Safety Director of Selma

The Selma to Montgomery marches were a series of three important protest marches that happened in 1965. These marches took place along a 54-mile (87 km) highway in Alabama. They started in Selma, Alabama, and ended in Montgomery, Alabama, the state capital.

These marches were organized by people who believed in nonviolent protest. They wanted to show that African-American citizens deserved their constitutional right to vote. At the time, many laws, called Jim Crow laws, stopped Black people from voting. These marches were a big part of the larger civil rights movement in the American South. The marches helped lead to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a very important law that protected voting rights for all.

Why the Marches Happened

For many years, states in the South had laws that made it very hard for African Americans to vote. These laws also enforced racial segregation, which meant Black and White people were kept separate.

Fighting for the Right to Vote

In 1963, a group called the Dallas County Voters League (DCVL) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) started a campaign in Selma. They wanted to help Black people register to vote. However, local White officials often arrested the organizers. They also made it very difficult for Black people to sign up to vote.

Even after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed, which made segregation illegal, things in Selma did not change much. So, the DCVL asked Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and his group, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), to help. Their involvement brought more attention and more people to Alabama.

Protests and a Tragic Event

Protests began in January 1965. By the end of February, about 3,000 people had been arrested. On February 26, a young activist named Jimmie Lee Jackson was shot during a peaceful march. He died a few days later. This made the Black community very angry and sad.

To help focus this anger, James Bevel of the SCLC suggested a long march. He proposed marching from Selma all the way to Montgomery, the state capital. The goal was to demand the right to vote without any problems.

The Three Marches

There were three main marches from Selma to Montgomery. Each one played a key role in the civil rights movement.

The First March: Bloody Sunday

The first march happened on March 7, 1965. About 600 unarmed protesters started walking. Leaders like James Bevel and Amelia Boynton were among them. When they crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge on their way to Montgomery, they were stopped. State troopers and local police attacked them with batons and tear gas.

This violent event became known as Bloody Sunday. Amelia Boynton was beaten until she was unconscious. A photo of her lying hurt on the bridge was seen all over the world. This shocking image helped bring national and international attention to the struggle for voting rights.

The Second March: Turnaround Tuesday

Two days later, on March 9, a second march took place. This time, Rev. King led the march. However, a federal court had issued a temporary order against more marches. King decided to turn the marchers around after they crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge. He did not want to break the court order.

That same night, a civil rights activist named James Reeb, a minister from Boston, was attacked by a group who opposed civil rights. He died from his injuries.

The Third March: March to Montgomery

The third and final march began on March 21. This time, the marchers had protection. The Alabama National Guard was there, under federal control. The FBI and federal marshals also helped keep the peace. The state's governor, George Wallace, had refused to protect the protesters.

Thousands of marchers walked about 10 miles (16 km) each day along U.S. Route 80. They reached Montgomery on March 24. The next day, March 25, about 25,000 people gathered on the steps of the Alabama State Capitol building. It was a huge demonstration for voting rights.

Impact of the Marches

The violence of "Bloody Sunday" and the death of James Reeb caused a huge outcry across the country. News of the marches was shared widely around the world. The protesters wanted a new federal law to make sure African Americans could register and vote without being harassed.

President Lyndon B. Johnson saw this as an important moment. On March 15, he gave a historic speech to Congress, which was shown on national television. He asked lawmakers to pass a new voting rights law. This law became known as the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It was signed into law on August 6, 1965. This act removed many of the unfair rules that had stopped Black people from voting.

Today, the path of the marches is a special place. It is called the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail. It helps people remember this important part of history.

Images for kids

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  Police watch marchers turn around on Tuesday, March 9, 1965.

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  The third Selma Civil Rights March frontline. From far left: John Lewis, an unidentified nun; Ralph Abernathy; Martin Luther King Jr.; Ralph Bunche; Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel; Frederick Douglas Reese. Second row: Between Martin Luther King Jr. and Ralph Bunche is Rabbi Maurice Davis. Heschel later wrote, "When I marched in Selma, my feet were praying." Joseph Ellwanger is standing in the second row behind the nun.

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  Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail sign

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  Memorial at Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama

See also

In Spanish: Domingo Sangriento (1965) para niños

• Bloody Tuesday (1964)
• Great Pilgrimage, 1913 suffrage march in the UK
• James Karales (major photographer of the march)
• Mud March, 1907 suffrage procession in London
• National Voting Rights Museum
• Padayatra
• Silent Sentinels, 1917 to 1919 protest in Washington, D.C.
• James "Spider" Martin ("Bloody Sunday" photographer)
• Suffrage Hikes, 1912 to 1914 in the US
• Woman Suffrage Procession, 1913 suffrage march in Washington, D.C.
• Women's Coronation Procession, 1911 suffrage march in London
• Women's Sunday, 1908 suffrage march and rally in London