Impact Of 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing On African American History

Church for African Americans was the only place that they felt safe and free. Church was the place all blacks would come together and worship Jesus. Blacks knew that they will never feel threatened by anyone because it was the house of God. But one Sunday morning something unusual happened that changed American history. The bombing of 16th St Birmingham Baptist Church influenced American history by furthering the civil rights movement also it caused more violence towards black people, and by President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the law for voting rights for blacks. The 16th Street Church bombing took place on Sunday September 15, 1963 at 10:22am. Addie Mae,Mcnair Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley were killed and Sarah Collins

That Sunday was the Annual youth day service. Before the explosion the girls were in the restroom fixing themselves for the service. “They were nervous and they were excited” (The Birmingham Church Bombing 14). The Bombing of the 16th street Baptist church influenced American history by furthering the Civil rights movement. By the incident and the violent clash between protesters and police that followed helped draw national attention to the hard fought, often dangerous struggle for civil rights for African Americans. Following the September bombing at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, where four young girls are killed, northern Democrats add tough new provisions to the bill, including the expansion of the definition of "public accommodations" to include private schools and law schools, for example; and giving the Justice Department the power to sue on behalf of any citizen who claims a violation of his or her constitutional rights.(The Struggle For Civil Rights) After the president's death, Robert Kennedy's Justice Department continues to play a critical role in the legislative process and in the final passage of the bill. The new president, Lyndon B. Johnson,