Selma to Montgomery Marches Introduction The Civil Rights Movement was a social and political movement that aimed to secure equal rights and opportunities for Black Americans and other marginalized groups in the United States. The movement emerged in the 1950s and 1960s in response to the widespread racial discrimination and segregation that existed throughout the country. The movement was characterized by a series of protests, demonstrations, and acts of civil disobedience aimed at challenging discriminatory laws and practices. The movement was led by prominent figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, and John Lewis, and included a diverse array of groups and organizations, such as the National Association for the Advancement …show more content…
The marches were organized by civil rights organizations such as the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and were led by figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lewis. In February, police attacked a night march in a small town near Selma and fatally shot 26-year-old Jimmie Lee Jackson, who was shielding his mother and grandmother from the police. Jackson’s death prompted black leaders to organize a 54-mile march from Selma to the governor’s mansion in Montgomery to demand protection for those registering to vote (Dailey p. …show more content…
These marches, which were organized to challenge discriminatory voting practices and put pressure on the federal government to act, brought national attention to the issue of racial injustice and helped to galvanize public support for the civil rights movement. The Selma to Montgomery Marches were successful in achieving their goals. By marching from Selma to Montgomery, the protesters were effectively saying that they refused to be intimidated or silenced any longer. They were demanding that their right to vote be protected and that the federal government take action to dismantle the systems of oppression that had kept them disenfranchised for so long. They drew attention to the fact that Black Americans were being denied their right to vote through various means. The marches ultimately led to the passage of a landmark piece of legislation that outlawed these discriminatory practices and provided federal oversight of elections in areas with a history of
“Selma to Montgomery”, a report written by Chuck Stone in the February of 2000, is about African Americans marching together to Montgomery to fight for their equal rights. Even after the freedom summer in 1964, blacks remained unable to vote, but it wasn’t very long until a new project took action. A march across highway 80 from Selma, Dallas to Montgomery was the plan. It took a great deal of courage and determination for them to go through with it, especially since the people of the white race caught them and forced them to halt multiple times, making them end their march. Alabama state troopers confronted the people of colour at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, during their first attempt to march “The troopers began to push them back; marchers
During January and February, 1965, Dr. King led a series of demonstrations to the Dallas County Courthouse. On February 17, protester Jimmy Lee Jackson was fatally shot by an Alabama state trooper. In response, a protest march from Selma to Montgomery was scheduled for March 7. Six hundred marchers assembled in Selma on Sunday, March 7, and, led by John Lewis himself, and other SNCC activists, crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge over the Alabama River in route to Montgomery.
The first 10 or 20 Negroes were swept to the ground screaming, arms and legs flying and packs and bags went skittering across the grassy divider strip and onto the pavement on both sides.” As a result, at least 17 Negroes were hospitalized with injuries and about 40 more were given emergency treatment for minor injuries and tear gas effects. State troopers’ violence received national attention through television and it helped gain Congressional passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which banned voting discrimination against african american. Within months, more than 250,000 african americans were able to register to vote across the
King did not participate in this particular march and was very lucky that he didn’t. The demonstrators were met with tear gas and nightsticks from the police as they were crossing Edmond Pettus Bridge. Seventeen of the demonstrators were hospitalized, but that didn’t stop King from rising up as the leader and planning more successful marches for the future (“Martin Luther King Jr.”). This example of Bloody Sunday is also showcasing how Martin Luther King Jr. fought heavily for
In March of 1965, during the Freedom March from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, protestors were attacked by white law enforcement with batons and tear gas, and one man was killed. A week later, President Johnson gave a speech addressing Congress. He began his address by condemning what happened in Selma, Alabama. A short five months later, on August 6, 1965, Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which outlawed discriminatory voting practices that were practiced in many southern states after the Civil
Large-scale marches and demonstrations were used as a strategy in the fight for voting rights in Alabama. The 1965 marches from Selma
The March is acknowledged with aiding in the creation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Without the March on Washington’s unity, determination, and message, the civil rights movement might not have accomplished as much as it
Selma March were three pacific manifestations along 54 miles in the highway from Selma to the Alabama’ state capital of Montgomery. They were organized because some African Americans wanted to demonstrate the rest of American population that they deserved their constitutional right to vote, instead of segregationist and repression. When state troopers try to stop the march with some violence actions, it triggered a wave across the country that facilitated the civil rights movement and the passages of legislation. Highlighting racial injustice, they were raising in American social live. For this reason, President Lyndon B. Johnson should signed the new Voting Rights and a federal achievement of the Civil Rights Movement.
They organized protests, sit-ins, and voter registration drives, and they used the media to bring attention to their cause. They also challenged the social customs of the Democratic Party, which claimed to support civil rights but was willing to ignore the voices of African American voters in Mississippi. Over time, these efforts began to bear fruit. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 helped to dismantle many of the social customs that had been used to deny African Americans their rights. African Americans gained the right to vote and began to play a more active role in shaping the political landscape of the United States.
The March on Washington helped to pave the way for the ratification of the 24th amendment to the US constitution, which outlawed the poll tax, this was a tax levied on individuals as a requirement for voting, “It paved the way for the passage of the civil rights act of 1964, which desegregated public institutions and outlawed employment discrimination”(Beck). Finally, it paved the way to raise awareness of the civil rights movement. However, these changes took time to happen. It took time and more fighting, but it pressured Congress and the president to make a change. The March on Washington "serves as a reminder of the power of the democratic process and the possibilities of people when they are united and committed to a higher cause, such as civil rights"(Beck).
First of all, the American civil rights movement had the famous Selma to Montgomery march. The Planned march from Selma to the state capitol in Montgomery ended almost before it began. On Pettus Bridge, the police used tear gas and attacked the protesters. They did not have any rights and the farm workers demanded higher pay as they were paid very low pay. In 1966, the farm workers marched 300 miles from Delano to Sacramento in a pilgrimage ending on Easter Sunday.
The march was organized to demand equal voting rights for African Americans and drew over 25,000 people. The event was met with violence from state troopers, who attacked the marchers with tear gas and clubs. The brutality of the police response was broadcast on national television, which helped to galvanize public support for the civil rights movement. The march ultimately led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which removed barriers to voting for African Americans and other minorities.
The March on Washington was an important moment in the Civil Rights Movement. In the March on Washington, people showed their support for the civil rights bill, ending segregation in school, and jobs for unemployed people. The people who planned the event believed that if it wasn’t well-organized and peaceful, it wouldn’t be for the original purpose. The March on Washington took place down Constitution and Independence avenues.
The movements that were upfront with stopping voting discrimination were most successful and gained support nationwide for its goals and objectives. A year later segregation was outlawed by the Omnibus Civil Rights Act. In the end the Civil Rights Movement in 1965-1969 may not have been 100 percent successful but African Americans did make progress and are a few steps closer to being economically, politically and morally equal like any white
One blazing hot, summer day on August 28, 1963, about a quarter of a million people, black and white alike, showed up for a peaceful march in Washington D.C. The march included walking from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln memorial. Passionate about civil rights, these people wanted to peacefully get legislature to give them the freedom that they rightfully deserve. They wanted to have non-segregated schools, protection against police cruelty, equality among workers, and a number of other rights. (Ross)