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Key Events In The Civil Rights Movement

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Throughout the Civil Rights Movement there were key components and events that created great strides in the fight for equality. Two major events that held these components were Selma, Alabama’s march, leading to the passing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and Memphis, Tennessee’s boycott for sanitation workers to get equal pay and equal insurance. Also, during the time in Memphis, the world lost Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a major leader that sparked civil unrest that led to change, and his death was controversial. The events that happened in Selma, Alabama, and Memphis, Tennessee impacted the Civil Rights Movement for the better even if there were negative actions at during the time of both. The three marches that took place from Selma to …show more content…

Activists broadcasted the three protests to march from Selma to the state capital of Montgomery as a way to show their desire of having equal rights as citizens to exercise their constitutional right to vote, in defiance of segregationist repression. On March 7, 1965 the first march took place. State troopers and county police men attacked unarmed marchers with billy clubs and tear gas after they passed over the county line. This event became what is known as Bloody Sunday. The second march happened on March 9th, where law enforcement and marchers confronted each other at the county end of the bridge, but troopers stepped aside to let them pass. “As the marches began to rise again from the pavement, some singing the movement standard “We Shall Overcome” and others easing forward with scattered cheers, Major Cloud executed a surprise maneuver. Troopers, Withdraw!”(Branch, pg. 117). Dr. King decided to lead the marches back to the church. “King stood stunned at the divide, with but an instant to decide whether this was a trap or a miraculous parting of the red sea” (Branch, pg. 117). Dr. …show more content…

The incident that happened with the sanitations workers left everyone on edge in Memphis, Tennessee. During a serve thunderstorm, because of city rules against their seeking shelter in residential areas, two “tub men” had crammed into a truck’s rear cylinder and been crushed accidentally by the piston like compactor meant for garbage” ( Branch, pg. 175). Due to Dr. King hectic scheduling he was late to head of a teeming march into downtown Memphis. He received major criticism for FBI’s calling “Like Judas leading lambs to slaughter”( Branch, pg. 176). Also criticism for Dr. Kings side “the violence in Memphis was godsend to the FBI”, wrote King Scholar Adam Fairclough ( Branch, pg.175). There was a lot of animosity between Dr. King and the FBI, so on April 4, 1968 Dr. King was

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