National Voting Rights Museum facts for kids
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The National Voting Rights Museum and Institute is a special museum in Selma, Alabama. It opened in 1993, but was started in 1991. This museum remembers and shows the history of people who fought for the right to vote in America. It focuses on the important events leading up to the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches. It also highlights the passing of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The museum also celebrates those who worked for voting rights for African Americans and for women. It reminds us that the idea of voting for everyone started way back in 1776. The museum was founded by Faya Ora Rose Touré and Marie Foster.
The museum is located very close to the Edmund Pettus Bridge. This bridge is famous for a sad event on March 7, 1965. On that day, people marching for voting rights were attacked by police. This event became known as "Bloody Sunday". The marchers had planned to walk 54 miles to Montgomery, the state capital. News of the attack was shown on TV and in newspapers across the country. This made many people very angry.
Later, President Lyndon B. Johnson helped protect the marchers. A court also said they had the right to march. So, on March 21, thousands of people left Selma again. They reached Montgomery a few days later. Many more people, both Black and white, joined them. About 25,000 marchers entered the capital city. They wanted to make sure everyone had the right to vote. That summer, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 became a law. This law helped protect voting rights for all Americans.
Contents
Museum Exhibits and Collections
The National Voting Rights Museum has several rooms and areas to explore. Each one tells a part of this important history.
Footprints to Freedom Room
This room is very unique. It shows molded footprints of some of the brave people. These are the activists who took part in the Selma to Montgomery marches. It helps visitors feel connected to their journey.
Women's Suffrage Room
This area honors the amazing work of women. It highlights African-American women and others. They all worked hard to help women get the right to vote in the United States.
The Selma Room (Marie Foster Room)
This room is also known as the Marie Foster room. Here, you can see old voting records. There are also clothes worn by people who were hurt during the march. Other items from these important social movements are also on display.
Personal Messages Room
This room is a special place for visitors. People who were part of the 1960s marches can leave their own messages. They can also share their personal memories here. It's a way to keep their stories alive.
The museum also has a very large picture. It's a famous photo taken during the Selma to Montgomery march. A photographer from Look magazine, James Karales, took this iconic picture.
See also
- Dr. Martin Luther King's 1957 Give Us the Ballot speech
- Voting rights in the United States
- Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
- Civil rights movement in popular culture
- National Civil Rights Museum
- Woman Suffrage Procession
- Declaration of Sentiments
- Seneca Falls Convention
- Women's suffrage in the United States
