Written by Background
Despite the passage of the 15th Amendment in 1870, which granted African American men the right to vote, Southern states used literacy tests, poll taxes, and violent intimidation to suppress Black voters. By the 1960s, less than 2% of Black residents in Selma, Alabama, were registered to vote.
Civil rights leaders, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis, and Hosea Williams, decided to march from Selma to Montgomery (54 miles) to demand voting rights legislation.
What Happened?
On March 7, 1965, about 600 peaceful protesters, including women and children, gathered at Brown Chapel AME Church and began marching toward Montgomery. However, as they crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge, they were met by Alabama state troopers and local police, who had orders from Governor George Wallace to stop them.
What followed was one of the most brutal attacks in American history, broadcast live on television. Officers charged at the marchers with billy clubs, whips, and tear gas, beating them mercilessly. John Lewis, just 25 years old at the time, suffered a fractured skull from a police beating. Many others were trampled by horses or suffered chemical burns from tear gas.
Impact for the Future
The horrific images of “Bloody Sunday” outraged Americans nationwide. Just eight days later, President Lyndon B. Johnson introduced the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which banned discriminatory voting practices. By the end of 1965, thousands of Black citizens in Alabama had registered to vote.
Today, the Edmund Pettus Bridge remains a powerful symbol of the fight for justice. Each year, civil rights leaders gather in Selma to retrace the steps of the original march, ensuring that the memory of “Bloody Sunday” lives on.