Why is Selma Alabama so important to the civil rights movement?

Selma, Alabama, captured the attention of the entire nation and became the center of a decisive shift in the American conscience. The nexus of the voting rights campaign of the 1960s, Selma was the starting point for three marches in support of African-Americans’ right to vote.

What impact did Selma have on the civil rights?

The events in Selma galvanized public opinion and mobilized Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act, which President Johnson signed into law on August 6, 1965. Today, the bridge that served as the backdrop to “Bloody Sunday” still bears the name of a white supremacist, but now it is a symbolic civil rights landmark.

What happened in Selma Alabama in 1965 in relation to the civil rights movement?

On March 7, 1965, state and local police used billy clubs, whips, and tear gas to attack hundreds of civil rights activists beginning a march from Selma, Alabama, to the state capitol in Montgomery.

What happened in Selma Alabama in 1963?

After the Birmingham church bombing on September 15, 1963, which killed four black girls, black students in Selma began sit-ins at local lunch counters to protest segregation; they were physically attacked and arrested. More than 300 were arrested in two weeks of protests, including SNCC Chairman John Lewis.

Why were protesters marching from Selma to Montgomery?

Fifty years ago, on March 7, 1965, hundreds of people gathered in Selma, Alabama to march to the capital city of Montgomery. They marched to ensure that African Americans could exercise their constitutional right to vote — even in the face of a segregationist system that wanted to make it impossible.

Who built the Edmund Pettus Bridge?

Henson Stephenson
It is a steel through-arch bridge spanning 250 feet designed by Selma native Henson Stephenson and completed in 1940. The bridge was named for Confederate officer and U.S. senator Edmund Pettus, who lived in Selma for many years during his political career.