Selma to Montgomery marches - wikipedia Selma to Montgomery marches For other uses of `` Bloody Sunday '', see Bloody Sunday ( disambiguation ). Selma to Montgomery marches Part of the Civil Rights Movement Alabama State troopers attack civil - rights demonstrators outside Selma, Alabama, on Bloody Sunday, March 7, 1965 Date March 7 -- 25, 1965 ( 18 days ) Location Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church, Edmund Pettus Bridge, U.S. Route 80, Alabama State Capitol, Selma and Montgomery, Alabama Caused by Death of Jimmie Lee Jackson African Americans obstructed from registering to vote Failed voter registration campaign Resulted in Speech `` The American Promise '' delivered by Lyndon B. Johnson as Special Message before Congress Introduction of Senate bill 1964, a voting rights bill, in the 89th United States Congress Hastened passage of voting rights bill in Congress Speech `` How Long ? Not Long '' delivered by Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Alabama State Capitol Parties to the civil conflict Dallas County Voters League ( DCVL ) Southern Christian Leadership Conference ( SCLC ) Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee ( SNCC ) Governor of Alabama Department of Public Safety Dallas County Circuit Court Dallas County Sheriff Board of Registrar Mayor of Selma Selma Department of Safety Dallas County Citizens ' Council Lead figures DCVL members Ulysses S. Blackmon, Sr. Amelia Boynton Samuel Boynton Bruce Boynton Joseph Ellwanger Rev. Frederick Reese Rev. L.L. Anderson J.L. Chestnut Annie Lee Cooper Marie Foster James E. Gildersleeve SCLC members Martin Luther King, Jr. James Bevel Diane Nash James Orange Hosea Williams SNCC members Stokely Carmichael James Forman Prathia Hall Bernard Lafayette John Lewis Fay Bellamy Powell State of Alabama George Wallace, Governor Albert J. Lingo, Director of the Alabama Department of Public Safety Major John Cloud, Commander of Alabama State Troopers Dallas County Judge James Hare, Circuit Court Jim Clark, Sheriff of Dallas County J.P. Majors, Dallas County Registrar City of Selma Joseph Smitherman, Mayor Wilson Baker, Public Safety Director of Selma Civil rights movement in Alabama Montgomery bus boycott Stand in the Schoolhouse Door Birmingham campaign Birmingham riot of 1963 16th Street Baptist Church bombing Bloody Tuesday Selma to Montgomery marches The Selma to Montgomery marches were three protest marches, held in 1965, along the 54 - mile ( 87 km ) highway from Selma, Alabama to the state capital of Montgomery. The marches were organized by nonviolent activists to demonstrate the desire of African - American citizens to exercise their constitutional right to vote, in defiance of segregationist repression, and were part of a broader voting rights movement underway in Selma and throughout the American South. By highlighting racial injustice, they contributed to passage that year of the Voting Rights Act, a landmark federal achievement of the Civil Rights Movement. Southern state legislatures had passed and maintained a series of discriminatory requirements and practices that had disenfranchised most of the millions of African Americans across the South throughout the 20th century. The African - American group known as the Dallas County Voters League ( DCVL ) launched a voter registration campaign in Selma in 1963. Joined by organizers from the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee ( SNCC ), they began working that year in a renewed effort to register black voters. Finding resistance by white officials to be intractable, even after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ended legal segregation, the DCVL invited Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the activists of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference ( SCLC ) to join them. SCLC brought many prominent civil rights and civic leaders to Selma in January 1965. Local and regional protests began, with 3,000 people arrested by the end of February. According to Joseph A. Califano Jr., who served as head of domestic affairs for U.S. President Lyndon Johnson between the years 1965 and 1969, the President viewed King as an essential partner in getting the Voting Rights Act enacted. Califano, whom the President also assigned to monitor the final march to Montgomery, said that Johnson and King talked by telephone on January 15 to plan a strategy for drawing attention to the injustice of using literacy tests and other barriers to stop black Southerners from voting, and that King later informed the President on February 9 of his decision to use Selma to achieve this objective. On February 26, 1965, activist and deacon Jimmie Lee Jackson died after being mortally shot several days earlier by state trooper, James Bonard Fowler, during a peaceful march in nearby Marion, Alabama. To defuse and refocus the community 's outrage, SCLC Director of Direct Action James Bevel, who was directing SCLC 's Selma voting rights movement, called for a march of dramatic length, from Selma to the state capital of Montgomery. Bevel had been working on his Alabama Project for voting rights since late 1963. The first march took place on March 7, 1965, organized locally by Bevel, Amelia Boynton, and others. State troopers and county possemen attacked the unarmed marchers with billy clubs and tear gas after they passed over the county line, and the event became known as Bloody Sunday. Law enforcement beat Boynton unconscious, and the media publicized worldwide a picture of her lying wounded on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The second march took place March 9. Troopers, police, and marchers confronted each other at the county end of the bridge, but when the troopers stepped aside to let them pass, King led the marchers back to the church. He was obeying a federal injunction while seeking protection from federal court for the march. That night, a white group beat and murdered civil rights activist James Reeb, a Unitarian Universalist minister from Boston, who had come to Selma to march with the second group. Many other clergy and sympathizers from across the country also gathered for the second march. The violence of `` Bloody Sunday '' and Reeb 's murder resulted in a national outcry and some acts of civil disobedience, targeting both the Alabama and federal governments. The protesters demanded protection for the Selma marchers and a new federal voting rights law to enable African Americans to register and vote without harassment. President Lyndon Johnson, whose administration had been working on a voting rights law, held a historic, nationally televised joint session of Congress on March 15 to ask for the bill 's introduction and passage. With Governor Wallace refusing to protect the marchers, President Johnson committed to do so. The third march started March 21. Protected by 1,900 members of the Alabama National Guard under federal command, and many FBI agents and Federal Marshals, the marchers averaged 10 miles ( 16 km ) a day along U.S. Route 80, known in Alabama as the `` Jefferson Davis Highway ''. The marchers arrived in Montgomery on March 24 and at the Alabama State Capitol on March 25. With thousands having joined the campaign, 25,000 people entered the capital city that day in support of voting rights. The route is memorialized as the `` Selma To Montgomery Voting Rights Trail, '' and is designated as a U.S. National Historic Trail. Contents 1 Selma movement established : 1963 -- 1964 2 1965 campaign launched 2.1 Background 2.2 Events of January 2.3 Events of February 3 First Selma - to - Montgomery March 3.1 Jimmie Lee Jackson 's death 3.2 Initiation and goals of march 3.3 `` Bloody Sunday '' events 3.4 Response to `` Bloody Sunday '' 4 Second march : `` Turnaround Tuesday '' 4.1 Response to second march 4.1. 1 Actions in Montgomery 4.1. 2 Actions at the White House 4.1. 3 Johnson 's decision and the Voting Rights Act 5 March to Montgomery 5.1 Response to third march 5.2 Hammermill boycott 6 Aftermath and historical impact 7 Legacy and honors 7.1 Revitalization 8 Representation in media 9 See also 10 References 11 External links Selma movement established : 1963 -- 1964 At the turn of the century, the Alabama state legislature passed a new constitution that effectively disenfranchised most blacks and many poor whites by requirements for payment of a poll tax and passing a literacy test and comprehension of the constitution. Subjective application of the laws effectively closed most blacks out of politics. Selma is a major town and the seat of Dallas County, part of the Alabama Black Belt with a majority - black population. In 1961, the population of Dallas County was 57 % black, but of the 15,000 blacks old enough to vote, only 130 were registered ( fewer than 1 % ). At that time, more than 80 % of Dallas County blacks lived below the poverty line, most of them working as sharecroppers, farm hands, maids, janitors, and day - laborers, but there were also teachers and business owners. With the literacy test administered subjectively by white registrars, even educated blacks were prevented from registering or voting. Led by the Boynton family ( Amelia, Sam, and son Bruce ), Rev. L.L. Anderson, J.L. Chestnut, and Marie Foster, the Dallas County Voters League ( DCVL ) tried to register black citizens during the late 1950s and early 1960s. Their efforts were blocked by state and local officials, the White Citizens ' Council, and the Ku Klux Klan. By the 1960s, county officials and the Citizens ' Council used such tactics as restricted registration hours ; economic pressure, including threatening people 's jobs, firing them, evicting people from leased homes, and economic boycotts of black - owned businesses ; and violence against blacks who tried to register. The Society of Saint Edmund, an order of Catholics committed to alleviating poverty and promoting civil rights, were the only whites in Selma who openly supported the voting rights campaign. SNCC staff member Don Jelinek later described this order as `` the unsung heroes of the Selma March... who provided the only integrated Catholic church in Selma, and perhaps in the entire Deep South. '' In early 1963, SNCC organizers Bernard Lafayette and Colia Liddel Lafayette arrived in Selma to begin a voter - registration project in cooperation with the DCVL. In mid-June, Bernard was beaten and almost killed by Klansmen determined to prevent blacks from voting. When the Lafayettes returned to college in the fall, SNCC organizers Prathia Hall and Worth Long carried on the work despite arrests, beatings, and death threats. When 32 black school teachers applied at the county courthouse to register as voters, they were immediately fired by the all - white school board. 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. October 7, 1963, was one of the two days that month when residents were allowed to go to the courthouse to apply to register to vote. SNCC 's James Forman and the DCVL mobilized more than 300 blacks from Dallas County to line up at the voter registration office in what was called a `` Freedom Day ''. Supporting them were national figures : author James Baldwin and his brother David, and comedian Dick Gregory and his wife Lillian ( she was later arrested for picketing with SNCC activists and local supporters ). SNCC members who tried to bring water to the blacks waiting on line were arrested, as were those who held signs saying `` Register to Vote. '' After waiting all day in the hot sun, only a handful of the hundreds in the line were allowed to fill out the voter application, and most of those applications were denied by white county officials. United States Justice Department lawyers and FBI agents were present and observing the scene, but took no action against local officials. On July 2, 1964, President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law, prohibiting segregation of public facilities. Some Jim Crow laws and customs remained in effect in Selma and other places for some time. When activists resumed efforts to integrate Selma 's eating and entertainment venues, blacks who tried to attend the movie theater and eat at the hamburger stand were beaten and arrested. On July 6, 1964, one of the two registration days that month, John Lewis led 50 black citizens to the courthouse, but County Sheriff Jim Clark arrested them all rather than allowing them to apply to vote. On July 9, 1964 Judge James Hare issued an injunction forbidding any gathering of three or more people under the sponsorship of civil rights organizations or leaders. This injunction made it illegal for more than two people at a time to talk about civil rights or voter registration in Selma, suppressing public civil rights activity there for the next six months. 1965 campaign launched Background With civil rights activity blocked by Judge Hare 's injunction, Frederick Douglas Reese requested the assistance of King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference ( SCLC ). Reese was president of the DCVL, but the group declined to invite the SCLC ; the invitation instead came from a group of local activists who would become known as the Courageous Eight - Ulysses S. Blackmon, Sr., Amelia Boynton, Ernest Doyle, Marie Foster, James Gildersleeve, J.D. Hunter, Sr., Henry Shannon, Sr., and Reese. Three of SCLC 's main organizers -- James Bevel ( Director of Direct Action and Director of Nonviolent Education ), Diane Nash, and James Orange -- had already been working on Bevel 's Alabama Voting Rights Project since late 1963. King and the executive board of SCLC had not joined it. When SCLC officially accepted the invitation from the `` Courageous Eight '', Bevel, Nash, Orange, and others in SCLC began working in Selma in December 1964. They also worked in the surrounding counties, along with the SNCC staff who had been active there since early 1963. Since the rejection of voting status for the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party delegates by the regular delegates at the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, major tensions between SCLC and SNCC had been brewing. SCLC ultimately remained neutral in the MFDP dispute in order to maintain its ties with the national Democratic coalition. Many SNCC members believed they were in an adversarial position with an American establishment which they thought had scorned grassroots democracy. SNCC 's focus was on bottom - up organizing, establishing deep - rooted local power bases through community organizing. They had become distrustful of SCLC 's spectacular mobilizations which were designed to appeal to the national media and Washington DC, but which, most of SNCC believed, did not result in major improvements for the lives of African Americans on the ground. But, SNCC chairman John Lewis ( also an SCLC board member ), believed mass mobilizations to be invaluable, and he urged the group to participate. SNCC called in Fay Bellamy and Silas Norman to be full - time organizers in Selma. Selma had both moderate and hardline segregationists in its white power structure. The newly elected Mayor Joseph Smitherman was a moderate who hoped to attract Northern business investment, and he was very conscious of the city 's image. Smitherman appointed veteran lawman Wilson Baker to head the city 's 30 - man police force. Baker believed that the most effective method of undermining civil rights protests was to de-escalate them and deny them publicity, as Police Chief Laurie Pritchett had done against the Albany Movement in Georgia. He earned what was described as a grudging respect from activists. The hardline of segregation was represented by Dallas County Sheriff Jim Clark, who used violence and repression to maintain Jim Crow. He commanded a posse of 200 deputies, some of whom were members of Ku Klux Klan chapters or the National States ' Rights Party. Possemen were armed with electric cattle - prods. Some were mounted on horseback and carried long leather whips they used to lash people on foot. Clark and Chief Baker were known to spar over jurisdiction. Baker 's police patrolled the city except for the block of the county courthouse, which Clark and his deputies controlled. Outside the city limits, Clark and his volunteer posse were in complete control in the county. Events of January The Selma Voting Rights Campaign officially started on January 2, 1965, when King addressed a mass meeting in Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church in defiance of the anti-meeting injunction. The date had been chosen because Sheriff Clark was out of town, and Chief Baker had stated he would not enforce the injunction. Over the following weeks, SCLC and SNCC activists expanded voter registration drives and protests in Selma and the adjacent Black Belt counties. Preparations for mass registration commenced in early January, and with King out of town fundraising, were largely under the leadership of Diane Nash. On January 15, King called President Johnson and the two agreed to begin a major push for voting rights legislation which would assist in advancing the passage of more anti-poverty legislation. After King returned to Selma, the first big `` Freedom Day '' of the new campaign occurred on January 18. According to their respective strategies, Chief Baker 's police were cordial toward demonstrators, but Sheriff Clark refused to let black registrants enter the county courthouse. Clark made no arrests or assaults at this time. However, in an incident that drew national attention, Dr. King was knocked down and kicked by a leader of the National States Rights Party, who was quickly arrested by Chief Baker. Baker also arrested the head of the American Nazi Party, George Lincoln Rockwell, who said he 'd come to Selma to `` run King out of town. '' Over the next week, blacks persisted in their attempts to register. Sheriff Clark responded by arresting organizers, including Amelia Boynton and Hosea Williams. Eventually 225 registrants were arrested as well at the county courthouse. Their cases were handled by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. On January 20, President Johnson gave his inaugural address, but did not mention voting rights. Up to this point, the overwhelming majority of registrants and marchers were sharecroppers, blue - collar workers and students. On January 22, Frederick Reese, a black schoolteacher who was also DCVL President, finally convinced his colleagues to join the campaign and register en masse. When they refused Sheriff Clark 's orders to disperse at the courthouse, an ugly scene commenced. Clark 's posse beat the teachers away from the door, but they rushed back only to be beaten again. The teachers retreated after three attempts, and marched to a mass meeting where they were celebrated as heroes by the black community. On January 25, U.S District Judge Daniel Thomas issued rules requiring that at least 100 people must be permitted to wait at the courthouse without being arrested. After Dr. King led marchers to the courthouse that morning, Jim Clark began to arrest all registrants in excess of 100, and corral the rest. Annie Lee Cooper, a fifty - three - year - old practical nurse who had been part of the Selma movement since 1963, struck Clark after he twisted her arm, and she knocked him to his knees. Four deputies seized Cooper, and photographers captured images of Clark beating her repeatedly with his club. The crowd was inflamed and some wanted to intervene against Clark, but King ordered them back as Cooper was taken away. Although Cooper had violated nonviolent discipline, the movement rallied around her. James Bevel, speaking at a mass meeting, deplored her actions because `` Then ( the press ) do n't talk about the registration. '' But, when asked about the incident by Jet magazine, Bevel said, `` Not everybody who registers is nonviolent ; not everybody who registers is supposed to be nonviolent. '' The incident between Clark and Cooper was a media sensation, putting the campaign on the front page of The New York Times. When asked if she would do it again, Cooper told Jet, `` I try to be nonviolent, but I just ca n't say I would n't do the same thing all over again if they treat me brutish like they did this time. '' Events of February Dr. King decided to make a conscious effort to get arrested, for the benefit of publicity. On February 1, King and Ralph Abernathy refused to cooperate with Chief Baker 's traffic directions on the way to the courthouse, calculating that Baker would arrest them, putting them in the Selma city jail run by Baker 's police, rather than the county jail run by Clark 's deputies. Once processed, King and Abernathy refused to post bond. On the same day, SCLC and SNCC organizers took the campaign outside of Dallas County for the first time ; in nearby Perry County 700 students and adults, including James Orange, were arrested. On the same day, students from Tuskegee Institute, working in cooperation with SNCC, were arrested for acts of civil disobedience in solidarity with the Selma campaign. In New York and Chicago, Friends of SNCC chapters staged sit - ins at Federal buildings in support of Selma blacks, and CORE chapters in the North and West also mounted protests. Solidarity pickets began circling in front of the White House late into the night. After the assault on Dr. King by the white supremacist in January, black nationalist leader Malcolm X had sent an open telegram to George Lincoln Rockwell, stating : `` if your present racist agitation against our people there in Alabama causes physical harm... you and your KKK friends will be met with maximum physical retaliation from those of us who... believe in asserting our right to self - defense by any means necessary. '' Fay Bellamy and Silas Norman attended a talk by Malcolm X to 3,000 students at the Tuskegee Institute, and invited him to address a mass meeting at Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church to kick off the protests on the morning of February 4. When Malcolm X arrived, SCLC staff initially wanted to block his talk, but he assured them that he did not intend to undermine their work. During his address, Malcolm X warned the protesters about `` house negroes '' who, he said, were a hindrance to black liberation. Dr. King later said that he thought this was an attack on him. But Malcolm told Coretta Scott King that he thought to aid the campaign by warning white people what `` the alternative '' would be if Dr. King failed in Alabama. Bellamy recalled that Malcolm told her he would begin recruiting in Alabama for his Organization of Afro - American Unity later that month ( Malcolm was assassinated two weeks later ). That February 4, President Lyndon Johnson made his first public statement in support of the Selma campaign. At midday, Judge Thomas, at the Justice Department 's urging, issued an injunction that suspended Alabama 's current literacy test, ordered Selma to take at least 100 applications per registration day, and guaranteed that all applications received by June 1 would be processed before July. In response to Thomas ' favorable ruling, and in alarm at Malcolm X 's visit, Andrew Young, who was not in charge of the Selma movement, said he would suspend demonstrations. James Bevel, however, continued to ask people to line up at the voter 's registration office as they had been doing, and Dr. King called Young from jail, telling him the demonstrations would continue. They did so the next day, and more than 500 protesters were arrested. On February 5, King bailed himself and Abernathy out of jail. On February 6, the White House announced that it would urge Congress to enact a voting rights bill during the current session, and that the Vice-President and Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach would meet with King in the following week. On February 9, King met with Attorney General Katzenbach, Vice President Hubert Humphrey, and White House aides before having a brief, seven - minute session with President Johnson. Following the Oval Office visit, King reported that Johnson planned to deliver his message `` very soon. '' Throughout that February, King, SCLC staff, and members of Congress met for strategy sessions at the Selma, Alabama home of Richie Jean Jackson. In addition to actions in Selma, marches and other protests in support of voting rights were held in neighboriing Perry, Wilcox, Marengo, Greene, and Hale counties. Attempts were made to organize in Lowndes County, but fear of the Klan there was so intense from previous violence and murders that blacks would not support a nonviolent campaign in great number, even after Dr. King made a personal appearance on March 1. Overall more than 3,000 people were arrested in protests between January 1 and February 7, but blacks achieved fewer than 100 new registered voters. In addition, hundreds of people were injured or blacklisted by employers due to their participation in the campaign. DCLV activists became increasingly wary of SCLC 's protests, preferring to wait and see if Judge Thomas ' ruling of February 4 would make a long - term difference. SCLC was less concerned with Dallas County 's immediate registration figures, and primarily focused on creating a public crisis that would make a voting rights bill the White House 's number one priority. James Bevel and C.T. Vivian both led dramatic nonviolent confrontations at the courthouse in the second week of February. Selma students organized themselves after the SCLC leaders were arrested. King told his staff on February 10 that `` to get the bill passed, we need to make a dramatic appeal through Lowndes and other counties because the people of Selma are tired. '' By the end of the month, 300 blacks were registered in Selma, compared to 9500 whites. First Selma - to - Montgomery March Jimmie Lee Jackson 's death Main article : Jimmie Lee Jackson On February 18, 1965, C.T. Vivian led a march to the courthouse in Marion, the county seat of neighboring Perry County, to protest the arrest of James Orange. State officials had received orders to target Vivian, and a line of Alabama state troopers waited for the marchers at the Perry County courthouse. Officials had turned off all of the nearby street lights, and state troopers rushed at the protesters, attacking them. Protesters Jimmie Lee Jackson and his mother fled the scene to hide in a nearby café. Alabama State Trooper corporal James Bonard Fowler followed Jackson into the café and shot him, saying he thought the protester was trying to get his gun as they grappled. Jackson died eight days later at Selma 's Good Samaritan Hospital, of an infection resulting from the gunshot wound. Jackson was the only male wage - earner of his household, which lived in extreme poverty. Jackson 's father, mother, wife, and children were left with no source of income. Initiation and goals of March During a public meeting at Zion United Methodist Church in Marion on February 28 after Jackson 's death, emotions were running high. James Bevel, as director of the Selma voting rights movement for SCLC, called for a march from Selma to Montgomery to talk to Governor George Wallace directly about Jackson 's death, and to ask him if he had ordered the State Troopers to turn off the lights and attack the marchers. Bevel strategized that this would focus the anger and pain of the people of Marion and Selma toward a nonviolent goal, as many were so outraged they wanted to retaliate with violence. The marchers also hoped to bring attention to the continued violations of their Constitutional rights by marching to Montgomery. Dr. King agreed with Bevel 's plan of the march, which they both intended to symbolize a march for full voting rights. They were to ask Governor Wallace to protect black registrants. SNCC had severe reservations about the march, especially when they heard that King would not be present. They permitted John Lewis to participate, and SNCC provided logistical support, such as the use of its Wide Area Telephone Service ( WATS ) lines and the services of the Medical Committee on Human Rights, organized by SNCC during the Mississippi Summer Project of 1964. Governor Wallace denounced the march as a threat to public safety ; he said that he would take all measures necessary to prevent it from happening. `` There will be no march between Selma and Montgomery, '' Wallace said on March 6, 1965, citing concern over traffic violations. He ordered Alabama Highway Patrol Chief Col. Al Lingo to `` use whatever measures are necessary to prevent a march ''. `` Bloody Sunday '' events On March 7, 1965, an estimated 525 to 600 civil rights marchers headed southeast out of Selma on U.S. Highway 80. The march was led by John Lewis of SNCC and the Reverend Hosea Williams of SCLC, followed by Bob Mants of SNCC and Albert Turner of SCLC. The protest went according to plan until the marchers crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where they encountered a wall of state troopers and county posse waiting for them on the other side. County Sheriff Jim Clark had issued an order for all white males in Dallas County over the age of twenty - one to report to the courthouse that morning to be deputized. Commanding officer John Cloud told the demonstrators to disband at once and go home. Rev. Hosea Williams tried to speak to the officer, but Cloud curtly informed him there was nothing to discuss. Seconds later, the troopers began shoving the demonstrators, knocking many to the ground and beating them with nightsticks. Another detachment of troopers fired tear gas, and mounted troopers charged the crowd on horseback. Televised images of the brutal attack presented Americans and international audiences with horrifying images of marchers left bloodied and severely injured, and roused support for the Selma Voting Rights Campaign. Amelia Boynton, who had helped organize the march as well as marching in it, was beaten unconscious. A photograph of her lying on the road of the Edmund Pettus Bridge appeared on the front page of newspapers and news magazines around the world. In all, 17 marchers were hospitalized and 50 treated for lesser injuries ; the day soon became known as `` Bloody Sunday '' within the black community. Response to `` Bloody Sunday '' After the march, President Johnson issued an immediate statement `` deploring the brutality with which a number of Negro citizens of Alabama were treated... '' He also promised to send a voting rights bill to Congress that week, although it took him until March 15. SNCC officially joined the Selma campaign, putting aside their qualms about SCLC 's tactics in order to rally for `` the fundamental right of protest ''. SNCC members independently organized sit - ins in Washington, DC, the following day, occupying the office of Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach until they were dragged away. The Executive Board of the NAACP unanimously passed a resolution the day after `` Bloody Sunday '', warning, If Federal troops are not made available to protect the rights of Negroes, then the American people are faced with terrible alternatives. Like the citizens of Nazi - occupied France, Negroes must either submit to the heels of their oppressors or they must organize underground to protect themselves from the oppression of Governor Wallace and his storm troopers. Second March : `` turnaround Tuesday '' Bevel, King, Nash, and others began organizing a second march to be held on Tuesday, March 9, 1965. They issued a call for clergy and citizens from across the country to join them. Awakened to issues of civil and voting rights by years of Civil Rights Movement activities, and shocked by the television images of `` Bloody Sunday, '' hundreds of people responded to SCLC 's call. To prevent another outbreak of violence, SCLC attempted to gain a court order that would prohibit the police from interfering. Instead of issuing the court order, Federal District Court Judge Frank Minis Johnson issued a restraining order, prohibiting the march from taking place until he could hold additional hearings later in the week. Based on past experience, some in SCLC were confident that Judge Johnson would eventually lift the restraining order. They did not want to alienate one of the few southern judges who had displayed sympathy to their cause by violating his injunction. In addition, they did not yet have sufficient infrastructure in place to support the long march, one for which the marchers were ill - equipped. They knew that violating a court order could result in punishment for contempt, even if the order is later reversed. But some movement activists, both local and from around the country, were determined to march on Tuesday to protest both the `` Bloody Sunday '' violence and the systematic denial of black voting rights in Alabama. Both Hosea Williams and James Forman argued that the march must proceed and by the early morning of the march date, and after much debate, Dr. King had decided to lead people to Montgomery. Assistant Attorney General John Doar and former Florida Governor LeRoy Collins, representing President Lyndon Johnson, went to Selma to meet with King and others at Richie Jean Jackson 's house and privately urged King to postpone the march. The SCLC president told them that his conscience demanded that he proceed, and that many movement supporters, especially in SNCC, would go ahead with the march even if he told them it should be called off. Collins suggested to King that he make a symbolic witness at the bridge, then turn around and lead the marchers back to Selma. King told them that he would try to enact the plan provided that Collins could ensure that law enforcement would not attack them. Collins obtained this guarantee from Sheriff Clark and Al Lingo in exchange for a guarantee that King would follow a precise route drawn up by Clark. Police watch marchers turn around on Tuesday, March 9, 1965. On the morning of March 9, a day that would become known as `` Turnaround Tuesday '', Collins handed Dr. King the secretly agreed route. King led about 2,500 marchers out on the Edmund Pettus Bridge and held a short prayer session before turning them around, thereby obeying the court order preventing them from making the full march, and following the agreement made by Collins, Lingo and Clark. He did not venture across the border into the unincorporated area of the county, even though the police unexpectedly stood aside to let them enter. As only SCLC leaders had been told in advance of the plan, many marchers felt confusion and consternation, including those who had traveled long distances to participate and oppose police brutality. King asked them to remain in Selma for another march to take place after the injunction was lifted. That evening, three white Unitarian Universalist ministers in Selma for the march were attacked on the street and beaten with clubs by four KKK members. The worst injured was Reverend James Reeb from Boston. Fearing that Selma 's public hospital would refuse to treat Reeb, activists took him to Birmingham 's University Hospital, two hours away. Reeb died on Thursday, March 11 at University Hospital, with his wife by his side. Response to second March James Reeb 's death provoked mourning throughout the country, and tens of thousands held vigils in his honor. President Johnson called Reeb 's widow and father to express his condolences ( he would later invoke Reeb 's memory when he delivered a draft of the Voting Rights Act to Congress ). Blacks in Dallas County and the Black Belt mourned the death of Reeb, as they had earlier mourned the death of Jimmie Lee Jackson. But many activists were bitter that the media and national political leaders expressed great concern over the murder of Reeb, a northern white in Selma, but had paid scant attention to that of Jackson, a local African American. SNCC organizer Stokely Carmichael argued that `` the movement itself is playing into the hands of racism, because what you want as a nation is to be upset when anybody is killed ( but ) for it to be recognized, a white person must be killed. Well, what are you saying ? '' Dr. King 's credibility in the movement was shaken by the secret turnaround agreement. David Garrow notes that King publicly `` waffled and dissembled '' on how his final decision had been made. On some occasions King would inaccurately claim that `` no pre-arranged agreement existed, '' but under oath before Judge Johnson, he acknowledged that there had been a `` tacit agreement. '' Criticism of King by radicals in the movement became increasingly pronounced, with James Forman calling Turnaround Tuesday, `` a classic example of trickery against the people. '' Actions in Montgomery James Forman in Montgomery, March 1965 With the second march turned and its organizers awaiting a judicial order to safely proceed, Tuskegee Institute students, led by Gwen Patton and Sammy Younge Jr., decided to open a `` Second Front '' by marching to the Alabama State Capitol and delivering a petition to Governor Wallace. They were quickly joined by James Forman and much of the SNCC staff from Selma. The SNCC members distrusted King more than ever after the `` turnaround, '' and were eager to take a separate course. On March 11, SNCC began a series of demonstrations in Montgomery, and put out a national call for others to join them. James Bevel, SCLC 's Selma leader, followed them and discouraged their activities, bringing him and SCLC into conflict with Forman and SNCC. Bevel accused Forman of trying to divert people from the Selma campaign and of abandoning nonviolent discipline. Forman accused Bevel of driving a wedge between the student movement and the local black churches. The argument was resolved only when both were arrested. On March 15 and 16, SNCC led several hundred demonstrators, including Alabama students, Northern students, and local adults, in protests near the capitol complex. The Montgomery County sheriff 's posse met them on horseback and drove them back, whipping them. Against the objections of James Bevel, some protesters threw bricks and bottles at police. At a mass meeting on the night of the 16th, Forman `` whipped the crowd into a frenzy '' demanding that the President act to protect demonstrators, and warned, `` If we ca n't sit at the table of democracy, we 'll knock the fucking legs off. '' The New York Times featured the Montgomery confrontations on the front page the next day. Although Dr. King was concerned by Forman 's violent rhetoric, he joined him in leading a march of 2000 people in Montgomery to the Montgomery County courthouse. SNCC protesters in Montgomery, March 17, 1965 According to historian Gary May, `` City officials, also worried by the violent turn of events... apologized for the assault on SNCC protesters and invited King and Forman to discuss how to handle future protests in the city. '' In the negotiations, Montgomery officials agreed to stop using the county posse against protesters, and to issue march permits to blacks for the first time. Governor Wallace did not negotiate, however. He continued to have state police arrest any demonstrators who ventured onto Alabama State property of the capitol complex. Actions at the white House On March 11, seven Selma solidarity activists sat - in at the East Wing of the White House until arrested. Dozens of other protesters also tried to occupy the White House that weekend but were stopped by guards ; they blocked Pennsylvania Avenue instead. On March 12, President Johnson had an unusually belligerent meeting with a group of civil rights advocates including Bishop Paul Moore, Reverend Robert Spike, and SNCC representative H. Rap Brown. Johnson complained that the White House protests were disturbing his family. The activists were unsympathetic and demanded to know why he had n't delivered the voting rights bill to Congress yet, or sent federal troops to Alabama to protect the protesters. In this same period, SNCC, CORE, and other groups continued to organize protests in more than eighty cities, actions that included 400 people blocking the entrances and exits of the Los Angeles Federal Building. President Johnson told the press that he refused to be `` blackjacked '' into action by unruly `` pressure groups ''. The next day he arranged a personal meeting with Governor Wallace, urging him to use the Alabama National Guard to protect marchers. He also began preparing the final draft of his voting rights bill. On March 11, Attorney General Katzenbach announced that the federal government was intending to prosecute local and state officials who were responsible for the attacks on the marchers on March 7. He would use an 1870 civil rights law as the basis for charges. Johnson 's decision and the voting rights Act On March 15, the president convened a joint session of Congress, outlined his new voting rights bill, and demanded that they pass it. In a historic presentation carried nationally on live television, making use of the largest media network, Johnson praised the courage of African - American activists. He called Selma `` a turning point in man 's unending search for freedom '' on a par with the Battle of Appomattox in the American Civil War. Johnson added that his entire Great Society program, not only the Voting Rights Bill, was part of the Civil Rights Movement. He adopted language associated with Dr. King, declaring that `` it is not just Negroes, but really it is all of us, who must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice. And we shall overcome. '' Afterward, King sent a telegram to Johnson congratulating him for his speech, calling it `` the most moving eloquent unequivocal and passionate plea for human rights ever made by any president of this nation. '' Johnson 's Voting Rights Bill was formally introduced in Congress two days later. Map showing Selma to Montgomery march route in March 1965 March to Montgomery The third Selma Civil Rights March frontline. From far left : John Lewis, an unidentified nun ; Ralph Abernathy ; Martin Luther King, Jr. ; Ralph Bunche ; Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel ; Frederick Douglas Reese. Second row : Between Martin Luther King, Jr. and Ralph Bunche is Rabbi Maurice Davis. Heschel later wrote, `` When I marched in Selma, my feet were praying. '' Joseph Ellwanger is standing in the second row behind the nun. A week after Reeb 's death, on Wednesday March 17, federal Judge Johnson ruled in favor of the protesters, saying their First Amendment right to march in protest could not be abridged by the state of Alabama : The law is clear that the right to petition one 's government for the redress of grievances may be exercised in large groups... These rights may... be exercised by marching, even along public highways. Judge Johnson had sympathized with the protesters for some days, but had withheld his order until he received an iron - clad commitment of enforcement from the White House. President Johnson had avoided such a commitment in sensitivity to the power of the state 's rights movement, and attempted to cajole Governor Wallace into protecting the marchers himself, or at least giving the president permission to send troops. Finally, seeing that Wallace had no intention of doing either, the president gave his commitment to Judge Johnson on the morning of March 17, and the judge issued his order the same day. To ensure that this march would not be as unsuccessful as the first two marches were, the president federalized the Alabama National Guard on March 20 to escort the march from Selma, The ground operation was supervised by Deputy US Attorney General Ramsey Clark. He also sent Joseph A Califano Jr., who at the time served as Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, to outline the progress of the march. In a series of letters, Califano reported on the march at regular intervals for the four days. On Sunday, March 21, close to 8,000 people assembled at Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church to commence the trek to Montgomery. Most of the participants were black, but some were white and some were Asian and Latino. Spiritual leaders of multiple races, religions, and creeds marched abreast with Dr. King, including Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, Greek Orthodox Archbishop Iakovos, Rabbis Abraham Joshua Heschel and Maurice Davis, and at least one nun, all of whom were depicted in a photo that has become famous. The Dutch priest Henri Nouwen joined the march on March 24. In 1965, the road to Montgomery was four lanes wide going east from Selma, then narrowed to two lanes through Lowndes County, and widened to four lanes again at the Montgomery county border. Under the terms of Judge Johnson 's order, the march was limited to no more than 300 participants for the two days they were on the two - lane portion of Highway - 80. At the end of the first day, most of the marchers returned to Selma by bus and car, leaving 300 to camp overnight and take up the journey the next day. On March 22 and 23, 300 protesters marched through chilling rain across Lowndes County, camping at three sites in muddy fields. At the time of the march, the population of Lowndes County was 81 % black and 19 % white, but not a single black was registered to vote. There were 2,240 whites registered to vote in Lowndes County, a figure that represented 118 % of the adult white population ( in many southern counties of that era it was common practice to retain white voters on the rolls after they died or moved away ). On the morning of March 24, the march crossed into Montgomery County and the highway widened again to four lanes. All day as the march approached the city, additional marchers were ferried by bus and car to join the line. By evening, several thousand marchers had reached the final campsite at the City of St. Jude, a complex on the outskirts of Montgomery. That night on a makeshift stage, a `` Stars for Freedom '' rally was held, with singers Harry Belafonte, Tony Bennett, Frankie Laine, Peter, Paul and Mary, Sammy Davis, Jr., Joan Baez, Nina Simone and The Chad Mitchell Trio all performing. Thousands more people continued to join the march. On Thursday, March 25, 25,000 people marched from St. Jude to the steps of the State Capitol Building where King delivered the speech How Long, Not Long. He said : `` The end we seek is a society at peace with itself, a society that can live with its conscience... I know you are asking today, How long will it take ? I come to say to you this afternoon however difficult the moment, however frustrating the hour, it will not be long. '' After delivering the speech, King and the marchers approached the entrance to the capitol with a petition for Governor Wallace. A line of state troopers blocked the door. One announced that the governor was not in. Undeterred, the marchers remained at the entrance until one of Wallace 's secretaries appeared and took the petition. Later that night, Viola Liuzzo, a white mother of five from Detroit who had come to Alabama to support voting rights for blacks, was assassinated by Ku Klux Klan members while she was ferrying marchers back to Selma from Montgomery. Among the Klansmen in the car from which the shots were fired was FBI informant Gary Rowe. Afterward, the FBI 's COINTELPRO operation spread false rumors that Liuzzo was a member of the Communist Party and had abandoned her children to have sexual relationships with African - American activists. Response to third March The third march received national and international coverage ; it publicized the marchers ' message without harassment by police and segregation supporters. Gaining more widespread support from other civil rights organizations in the area, this march was considered an overall success, with greater influence on the public. Voter registration drives were organized in black - majority areas across the South, but it took time to get people signed up. U.S. Representative William Louis Dickinson made two speeches to Congress on March 30 and April 27, saying that there was alcohol abuse, bribery, and widespread sexual license among the marchers. Religious leaders present at the marches denied the charges, and local and national journalists found no grounds for his accounts. The allegations of segregation supporters were collected in Robert M. Mikell 's pro-segregationist book Selma ( Charlotte, 1965 ). Hammermill boycott During 1965, Martin Luther King was promoting an economic boycott of Alabama products to put pressure on the State to integrate schools and employment. In an action under development for some time, Hammermill paper company announced the opening of a major plant in Selma, Alabama ; this came during the height of violence in early 1965. On February 4, 1965, the Company announced plans for construction of a $35 million plant, allegedly touting the `` fine reports the company had received about the character of the community and its people. '' On March 26, 1965, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee called for a national boycott of Hammermill paper products, until the company reversed what SNCC described as racist policies. The SCLC joined in support of the boycott. In cooperation with SCLC, student members of Oberlin College Action for Civil Rights, joined with SCLC members to conduct picketing and a sit - in at Hammermill 's Erie, Pennsylvania headquarters. The company called a meeting of the corporate leadership, SCLC 's C.T. Vivian, and Oberlin student leadership. Their discussions led to Hammermill executives signing an agreement to support integration in Alabama. Aftermath and Historical impact Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail sign Play media President Obama 's speech marking the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery marches The marches had a powerful effect in Washington. After witnessing TV coverage of `` Bloody Sunday, '' President Lyndon Baines Johnson met with Governor George Wallace in Washington to discuss the civil rights situation in his state. He tried to persuade Wallace to stop the state harassment of the protesters. Two nights later, on March 15, 1965, Johnson presented a bill to a joint session of Congress. The bill was passed that summer and signed by Johnson as the Voting Rights Act. Johnson 's televised speech in front of Congress was carried nationally ; it was considered to be a watershed moment for the civil rights movement. He said : Even if we pass this bill, the battle will not be over. What happened in Selma is part of a far larger movement which reaches into every section and state of America. It is the effort of American Negroes to secure for themselves the full blessings of American life. Their cause must be our cause, too, because it is not just Negroes but really it is all of us who must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice. And we shall overcome. Many in the Civil Rights movement cheered the speech and were emotionally moved that after so long, and so hard a struggle, a President was finally willing to defend voting rights for blacks. According to C.T. Vivian, an SCLC activist who was with King at Richie Jean Jackson 's home when the speech was broadcast,... I looked over... and Martin was very quietly sitting in the chair, and a tear ran down his cheek. It was a victory like none other. It was an affirmation of the movement. Many others in the movement remained skeptical of the White House, believing that Johnson was culpable for having allowed violence against the movement in the early months of the campaign and was not a reliable supporter. Neither Jimmie Lee Jackson 's murderer, nor Reverend Reeb 's was ever prosecuted by the federal government. J.L. Chestnut, reflecting the view of many Selma activists, feared that the president had `` outfoxed '' and `` co-opted '' King and the SCLC. James Forman quipped that by quoting `` We Shall Overcome, '' Johnson had simply `` spoiled a good song. '' Such grassroots activists were more determined than ever to remain independent in their political organizing. Before the march to Montgomery concluded, SNCC staffers Stokely Carmichael and Cleveland Sellers committed themselves to registering voters in Lowndes County for the next year. Their efforts resulted in the creation of the Lowndes County Freedom Organization, a proto - typical black power organization. The bill was signed by President Johnson in an August 6 ceremony attended by Amelia Boynton and many other civil rights leaders and activists. This act prohibited most of the unfair practices used to prevent blacks from registering to vote, and provided for federal registrars to go to Alabama and other states with a history of voting - related discrimination to ensure that the law was implemented by overseeing registration and elections. In the early years of the Act, overall progress was slow, with local registrars continuing to use their power to deny African Americans voting access. In most Alabama counties, for example, registration continued to be limited to two days per month. The United States Civil Rights Commission acknowledged that `` The Attorney General moved slowly in exercising his authority to designate counties for examiners... he acted only in counties where he had ample evidence to support the belief that there would be intentional and flagrant violation of the Act. '' Dr. King demanded that federal registrars be sent to every county covered by the Act, but Attorney General Katzenbach refused. In the summer of 1965, a well - funded SCLC decided to join SNCC and CORE in massive on - the - ground voter registration programs in the South. The Civil Rights Commission described this as a major contribution to expanding black voters in 1965, and the Justice Department acknowledged leaning on the work of `` local organizations '' in the movement to implement the Act. SCLC and SNCC were temporarily able to mend past differences through collaboration in the Summer Community Organization & Political Education project. Ultimately, their coalition foundered on SCLC 's commitment to nonviolence and ( at the time ) the Democratic Party. Many activists worried that President Johnson still sought to appease Southern whites, and some historians support this view. By March 1966, nearly 11,000 blacks had registered to vote in Selma, where 12,000 whites were registered. More blacks would register by November, when their goal was to replace County Sheriff Jim Clark ; his opponent was Wilson Baker, for whom they had respect. In addition, five blacks ran for office in Dallas County. Rev. P.H. Lewis, pastor of Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church, ran for state representative on the Democratic ticket. David Ellwanger, a brother of Rev. Joseph Ellwanger of Birmingham, who led supporters in Selma in 1965, challenged incumbent state senator Walter C. Givhan ( d. 1976 ), a fierce segregationist and power in the state senate. First elected to the state senate in 1954, Givhan retained his seat for six terms, even after redistricting before the 1966 election. In November 1966, Katzenbach told Johnson regarding Alabama, that `` I am attempting to do the least I can do safely without upsetting the civil rights groups. '' Katzenbach did concentrate examiners and observers in Selma for the `` high - visibility '' election between incumbent County Sheriff Jim Clark and Wilson Baker, who had earned the grudging respect of many local residents and activists. With 11,000 blacks added to the voting rolls in Selma by March 1966, they voted for Baker in 1966, turning Clark out of office. Clark later was prosecuted and convicted of drug smuggling and served a prison sentence. The US Civil Rights Commission said that the murders of activists, such as Jonathan Daniels in 1965, had been a major impediment to voter registration. Overall, the Justice Department assigned registrars to six of Alabama 's 24 Black Belt counties during the late 1960s, and to fewer than one - fifth of all the Southern counties covered by the Act. Expansion of enforcement grew gradually, and the jurisdiction of the Act was expanded through a series of amendments beginning in 1970. An important change was made in 1972, when Congress passed an amendment that discrimination could be determined by `` effect '' rather than trying to prove `` intent. '' Thus, if county or local practices resulted in a significant minority population being unable to elect candidates of their choice, the practices were considered to be discriminatory in effect. In 1960, there were a total of 53,336 black voters registered in the state of Alabama ; three decades later, there were 537,285, a tenfold increase. Legacy and honors In 1996, the 54 - mile Selma - to - Montgomery National Historic Trail was designated and is preserved by the National Park Service. As part of the National Historic Trail, the National Park Service operates two interpretive centers ( Selma and Lowndes County ). It is planning to operate a Montgomery center to be located on the campus of Alabama State University. In February 2015, both houses of Congress voted for a resolution to award Congressional Gold Medals to the `` foot soldiers '' of the Selma campaign. In a later ceremony, two dozen individuals in Selma received certificates. Barack Obama signed the resolution in law on March 7. The award ceremony officially took place on February 24, 2016 at the US Capitol. Surviving marchers John Lewis and Frederick Reese accepted medals on behalf of the Selma marchers Revitalization Montgomery was one of four state capitals chosen for a Greening Americas Capitals Grant, a project of the Partnership for Sustainable Communities between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ), the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the U.S. Department of Transportation. Beginning in 2011, EPA and community groups developed the study through consultations and a 3 - day design workshops, aided by nationally acclaimed urban planners. The Montgomery portion of the Selma to Montgomery trail was being improved through a multimillion - dollar investment in order to enhance the trail and related neighborhoods. The city chose a section that passes through a `` historically significant African - American neighborhood. '' Projects planned to improve design and sustainability include infill development, resurfacing, pedestrian improvements, environmental improvements including new trees and green - screens, and drainage improvements. In addition, many information panels have been installed, as well as several permanent public art displays that are tied to the march. The work in Montgomery is related to a larger multi-agency effort since 2009 between the Alabama Department of Environmental Management ( ADEM ), EPA and the National Park Service to improve areas along the National Historic Voting Rights Trail to enable local communities to thrive. The US 80 corridor has been described in an EPA summary as a `` 54 - mile corridor of high unemployment, health issues, lower educational and economic achievements, and severe rural isolation. '' Among the serious environmental issues identified by EPA has been the presence of active and abandoned gas stations along the highway, with potential contamination from petroleum leaks from underground storage sites. A site in Montgomery had been identified as a problem, and EPA conducted additional assessments since the beginning of the project. Cleanup of the Montgomery site was scheduled to be completed in 2011. In addition, the agencies have sponsored community engagement to develop plans related to community goals. Since 2010, federal teams have met with community leaders in Selma, Hayneville and Montgomery, the county seats of Dallas, Lowndes and Montgomery counties. Representation in media Eyes on the Prize ( 1987 ) was a 14 - hour PBS documentary narrated by Julian Bond and produced by PBS. The sixth episode, `` Bridge to Freedom, '' explores the Selma to Montgomery marches. The series and its producer won six Emmies, the Peabody Award, and the duPont - Columbia Gold Baton award for excellence in journalism, and it was nominated for an Academy Award. Selma, Lord, Selma ( 1999 ), the first dramatic feature film based on events surrounding the Selma to Montgomery marches, is a Disney made - for - TV movie shown on ABC television. Critical reception varied. Selma, a 2014 American film directed by Ava DuVernay, features the historic figures who developed the voting rights campaign in Selma and led the Selma to Montgomery marches. The film starred David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King, Jr., Tom Wilkinson as President Lyndon B. Johnson, Common as James Bevel, and Tim Roth as Governor George Wallace. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, won for best song, and received highly favorable reviews, despite being criticized for the inaccurate portrayal of President Johnson as obstructing the advancement of civil rights. March ( 2013 ) is a three - part graphic novel autobiography written by Congressman John Lewis and published by Top Shelf Productions. It begins with his and fellow civil rights activists ' beating and gassing at the hands of Alabama state troopers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Written by Lewis and his congressional aide, Andrew Aydin, and illustrated by Nate Powell, the first book in series was published in August 2013. See also Bloody Tuesday ( 1964 ) James Karales ( major photographer of the march ) James `` Spider '' Martin ( `` Bloody Sunday '' photographer ) Padayatra Suffrage Hikes National Voting Rights Museum References Jump up ^ Taylor Branch, At Canaan 's Edge : America in the King Years 1965 - 1968 ( Simon & Schuster, 2007 ), p. 198 ^ Jump up to : Joseph A. Califano Jr. ( December 26, 2014 ). `` The movie ' Selma ' has a glaring flaw ''. Washington Post. 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The King Years : Historic Moments in the Civil Rights Movement. Simon & Schuster. Jump up ^ http://uudb.org/articles/jamesjosephreeb.html Jump up ^ Davis, Townsend ( 1998 ). Weary Feet, Rested Souls. W.W. Norton. ^ Jump up to : `` Selma -- Breaking the Grip of Fear '' ~ Civil Rights Movement Veterans Jump up ^ Are You `` Qualified '' to Vote ? The Alabama `` Literacy Test '' ~ Civil Rights Movement Veterans Jump up ^ `` Edmundite Southern Missions '', Encyclopedia of Alabama Jump up ^ Don Jelinek, `` Oral History / Interview, 2005 - Selma Underground : Fathers of St. Edmund '', Civil Rights Movement Veterans website Jump up ^ `` Freedom Day in Selma '' ~ Civil Rights Movement Veterans Jump up ^ Zinn, Howard ( 1965 ). SNCC The New Abolitionists. Beacon Press. 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Alabama Historical Commission. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on January 11, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Congressional Record 113th Congress ( 2013 - 2014 ) ''. November 13, 2013. Jump up ^ `` 1965 - Cracking Lowndes '' Civil Rights Movement Veterans website Jump up ^ `` 1965 - Bound in Jail ; Clubs and Cattleprods ; Holding on and Pushing Forward '', Civil Rights Movement Veterans History and Timeline Jump up ^ David Garrow, Protest at Selma ( Yale University Press, 1978 ), p. 58 Jump up ^ David J. Garrow, Bearing the Cross : Martin Luther King Jr and Southern Christian Leadership Conference ( Jonathan Cape, 1988 ), p. 389 Jump up ^ Halberstam, David. The Children, Random House, 1998, p. 502. Jump up ^ Fleming, John ( March 6, 2005 ). `` The Death of Jimmie Lee Jackson ''. The Anniston Star. Archived from the original on November 24, 2010. 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ISBN 9780199771905. Jump up ^ Taylor Branch, At Canaan 's Edge : America in the King Years 1965 - 1968 ( Simon & Schuster, 2006 ), p. 73 Jump up ^ Taylor Branch, At Canaan 's Edge : America in the King Years 1965 - 1968 ( Simon & Schuster, 2006 ), p. 59 - 65 Jump up ^ `` Selma Outrage Condemned '', The Crisis, Vol. 72, No. 4, April 1965 Jump up ^ See Walker v. City of Birmingham, 388 U.S. 307 1967, citing Howat v. Kansas, 258 U.S. 181 ( 1922 ). Jump up ^ `` Selma to Montgomery : Crossing a Bridge Into History - Alabama Road Trips - Alabama.Travel ''. Alabama 's Official Travel Guide. ^ Jump up to : David Garrow, Bearing the Cross ( Vintage edition, 1993 ), p. 401 - 405 Jump up ^ `` Martin Luther King and the Global Freedom Struggle ''. Stanford University : The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute. Retrieved October 16, 2012. 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Jump up ^ `` James Reeb '' King Encyclopedia Jump up ^ `` Bridge to Freedom '' episode, Eyes on the Prize series, PBS_WGBH Jump up ^ `` 1965 - Students March in Montgomery ; Confrontation at Dexter Church '', Civil Rights Movement Veterans History and Timeline Jump up ^ Gary May, Bending Toward Justice : The Voting Rights Act and the Transformation of American Democracy ( Basic Books, 2013 ) p. 107, 126 Jump up ^ `` 1965 - Protests and Police Violence Continue in Montgomery ; Brutal Attack in Montgomery '', Civil Rights Movement Veterans History and Timeline ^ Jump up to : `` 1965 - Wednesday, March 17 '', Civil Rights Movement Veterans History and Timeline Jump up ^ > Gary May, Bending Toward Justice : The Voting Rights Act and the Transformation of American Democracy, ( New York : Basic Books, 2013 ) p. 129 Jump up ^ `` The President 's Daily Diary : March 11, 1965 '' LBJ Library and Museum Jump up ^ Ekwueme Michael Thelwell, `` H. Rap Brown / Jamil Al - Amin : A Profoundly American Story '', The Nation, 28 February 2002 Jump up ^ Branch, At Canaan 's Edge, p. 93 Jump up ^ Gary May, Bending Toward Justice : The Voting Rights Act and the Transformation of American Democracy, ( Basic Books, 2013 ), p. 94 Jump up ^ Robert Young, `` Johnson wo n't be ' blackjacked into force by pressure groups ' '', Chicago Tribune, 13 March 1965 Jump up ^ John D. Pomfret, `` US to Prosecute Police Over Gas Attack '', New York Times, 12 March 1965, accessed 11 March 2015 Jump up ^ `` President Lyndon B. Johnson 's Special Message to the Congress : The American Promise, March 15, 1965 '', ( As delivered in person before a joint session at 9 : 02 p.m. ) ) Jump up ^ Pauley, Garth E. ( 2001 ). The Modern Presidency & Civil Rights : Rhetoric on Race from Roosevelt to Nixon. Presidential Rhetoric and Political Communication Series. 3. Texas A&M University Press. p. 189. ISBN 9781585441075. Jump up ^ Williams v. Wallace, 240 F. Supp. 100, 106 ( M.D. Ala. 1960 ). Jump up ^ Gary May, Bending Toward Justice : The Voting Rights Act and the Transformation of American Democracy ( Basic Books, 2013 ) pp. 127 -- 128 Jump up ^ Dallek, Robert ( 1998 ). Flawed Giant : Lyndon Johnson and His Times, 1961 - 1973. Oxford University Press, p. 218 Jump up ^ Gary May, Bending Toward Justice : The Voting Rights Act and the Transformation of American Democracy ( Basic Books, 2013 ) p. 130 Jump up ^ `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on April 23, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2015. - Califano Reports Jump up ^ Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail -- National Park Service Jump up ^ Nouwen, Henri ( 2008 ). The Road to Peace, p. 84 - 85. Orbis, New York. ISBN 1570751927. Jump up ^ Cobb, Charles E. ( 2008 ). On the Road to Freedom. Algonquin Books. Jump up ^ https://libraries.ucsd.edu/farmworkermovement/ufwarchives/sncc/13-June%201966.pdf Jump up ^ Clark, Doug ( January 18, 2015 ). `` King letter of thanks hangs on his wall ''. The Spokesman - Review. Spokane, WA. Retrieved June 7, 2015. Jump up ^ Tankersley, Mike ( March 25, 2012 ). `` City of St. Jude is just wild about Harry ''. Montgomery Advertiser. Retrieved June 11, 2013. Jump up ^ Selma to Montgomery March Archived January 22, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ Mallon, Jack ( March 6, 2015 ). `` Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and demonstrators reach Montgomery from Selma in 1965 ''. Daily News ( New York ). Jump up ^ Mary Stanton, FROM SELMA TO SORROW : The Life and Death of Viola Liuzzo, University of Georgia Press, 2000 Jump up ^ Jane Daily, `` Sex, Segregation, and the Sacred after Brown '', The Journal of American History, 91.1. Note : Mikkel 's book was published with a colorized cover photograph showing splotches of blood drawn on an image of Viola Liuzzo 's car. Jump up ^ Fredrick, Stand Up for Alabama, page 126 Jump up ^ `` Selma to be Southern Operations Base '' Jump up ^ Student Voice Jump up ^ Jet, 27 May 1965. Jump up ^ The Activist Consensus Jump up ^ The Best Known Name in Paper, Hammermill, Pennsylvania State University ^ Jump up to : Weinstein, Allen ( 2002 ). The Story of America : Freedom and Crisis from Settlement to Superpower. DK Publishing, Inc. Jump up ^ Williams, Juan ( 2002 ). Eyes on the Prize : America 's Civil Rights Years, 1954 - 1965. Penguin Books. ISBN 0140096531. Jump up ^ Wicker, Tom ( 15 March 1965 ). `` Johnson Urges Congress at Joint Session to Pass Law Insuring Negro Vote ''. New York Times. Retrieved 3 August 2013. Jump up ^ Tambay A. Obenson ( 4 June 2014 ). `` Niecy Nash Signs Up To Play Richie Jean Jackson In Ava Du - Shadow and Act ''. Shadow and Act. Jump up ^ `` 1965 - President Johnson : We Shall Overcome '' Civil Rights Movement Veterans History and Timeline Jump up ^ `` FBI investigating ' 65 killing of pro-civil rights minister '', The Grio Jump up ^ Gary May, Bending Toward Justice, p. 125 Jump up ^ `` Stokely Carmichael '' King Encyclopedia Jump up ^ `` Eyes on the Prize II : Interview with Cleveland Sellers '' Washington University Digital Gateway Jump up ^ `` 1965 - SCOPE Voter Registration '' Civil Rights Movement Veterans History and Timeline ^ Jump up to : `` Voting Rights Act : the first months. '' United States Commission on Civil Rights. Washington, DC. 1965. CR1. 2 : V94 / 2 Jump up ^ `` 1965 - SCOPE Voter Registration '' Civil Rights Movement Veterans History and Timeline Jump up ^ `` 1965 - SCLC / SCOPE and SNCC '' Civil Rights Movement Veterans History and Timeline Jump up ^ `` 1965 - SCOPE '' Civil Rights Movement Veterans History and Timeline Jump up ^ Hanes Walton Jr, Sherman Puckett, and Donald R Deskins, The African American Electorate : A Statistical History ( CQ Press, 2012 ) p. 624 - 628 Jump up ^ `` Walter C. Givhan '', Auburn University, 2015, accessed 12 March 2015 Jump up ^ Taylor Branch, At Canaan 's Edge, p. 461 Jump up ^ Rawls, Phillip ( June 6, 2007 ). `` Ala. Ex-Sheriff Dies ; Civil Rights Foe ''. The Washington Post. Associated Press. Jump up ^ `` 1965 - SCOPE Voter Registration '' Civil Rights Movement Veterans History and Timeline Jump up ^ Selma - to - Montgomery 1965 Voting Rights March Archived March 16, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. -- Alabama Department of Archives & History Jump up ^ History and Culture : Selma - to - Montgomery National Historic Trail, National Park Service Jump up ^ http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/03/obama_signs_booker-sponsored_bill_to_give_selma_ma.html Jump up ^ http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/02/selma_marchers_get_congressional_gold_medal_with_b.html Jump up ^ http://newsone.com/3359436/selma-foot-soldiers-receive-the-congressional-gold-medal/ ^ Jump up to : `` Greening the Selma to Montgomery Trail : Reconnecting and Remembering '', Greening American Capitals, EPA ^ Jump up to : `` Community Engagement At Leaking Underground Storage Tank Sites : National Historic Voting Rights Trail Selma To Montgomery, Alabama '', EPA, 9 July 2010, accessed 14 March 2015 Jump up ^ `` Eyes on the Prize ''. The American Experience. PBS. August 23, 2006. Retrieved 6 June 2014. Jump up ^ `` ' Selma, Lord, Selma ' airs Jan. 17 : The horror and legacy of Bloody Sunday brought to life ''. Pittsburg New Courier. Pittsburgh, PA. December 30, 1998. Retrieved 5 June 2014. -- via HighBeam ( subscription required ) Jump up ^ `` Critic reviews for Selma ''. Metacritic. February 2, 2015. Retrieved June 8, 2015. Jump up ^ `` '' Selma '' Movie ``. LBJ Presidential Library. Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library. Retrieved 21 January 2015. Jump up ^ Updegrove, Mark K. ( December 22, 2014 ). `` What ' Selma ' Gets Wrong ''. Politico Magazine. Retrieved 22 February 2015. Jump up ^ Cavna, Michael ( August 12, 2013 ). `` In the graphic novel ' March, ' Rep. John Lewis renders a powerful civil rights memoir ''. The Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2013. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Selma to Montgomery marches. National Voting Rights Museum and Institute, Selma, Alabama Selma and the March to Montgomery ~ A Discussion by Civil Rights Movement Veterans Images of Selma and the March to Montgomery ~ Civil Rights Movement Veterans Selma and the March to Montgomery ~ A Discussion by Civil Rights Movement Veterans Police attack Alabama marchers by BBC News Alabama Department of Archives & History '' The Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March : Shaking the Conscience of the Nation '' a National Park Service lesson plan President Johnson / Dr. King phone call of January 15, 1965 from the Miller Center at the University of Virginia FBI files on the March, hosted at the Internet Archive Selma to Montgomery March article, Encyclopedia of Alabama Tullos, Allen. `` Selma Bridge : Always Under Construction, '' Southern Spaces July 28, 2008. The Selma March Remembered ~ An account by someone who was there. Brotherhood Postponed Sermon by Rabbi Maurice Davis recapping the events of the third march to Montgomery NEH 's EDSITEment Picturing Freedom : Selma to Montgomery March 1965 The Jack Rabin Collection on Alabama Civil Rights and Southern Activists - photos, including 450 from the subversive unit of the Alabama Department of Public Safety, and several oral interviews ( 1 ) hide Civil rights movement Notable events ( timeline ) Prior to 1954 Lynching in the United States Murder of Harry and Harriette Moore 1954 -- 1959 Brown v. Board of Education Bolling v. Sharpe Briggs v. Elliott Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County Gebhart v. Belton White America, Inc. Sarah Keys v. Carolina Coach Company Emmett Till Montgomery bus boycott Browder v. Gayle Tallahassee bus boycott Mansfield school desegregation 1957 Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom `` Give Us the Ballot '' Royal Ice Cream sit - in Little Rock Nine National Guard blockade Civil Rights Act of 1957 Kissing Case Biloxi wade - ins 1960 -- 1963 Greensboro sit - ins Nashville sit - ins Sit - in movement Civil Rights Act of 1960 Gomillion v. Lightfoot Boynton v. Virginia Rock Hill sit - ins Robert F. Kennedy 's Law Day Address Freedom Rides attacks Garner v. Louisiana Albany Movement University of Chicago sit - ins `` Second Emancipation Proclamation '' Meredith enrollment, Ole Miss riot `` Segregation now, segregation forever '' Stand in the Schoolhouse Door 1963 Birmingham campaign Letter from Birmingham Jail Children 's Crusade Birmingham riot 16th Street Baptist Church bombing John F. Kennedy 's Report to the American People on Civil Rights March on Washington `` I Have a Dream '' St. Augustine movement 1964 -- 1968 Twenty - fourth Amendment Bloody Tuesday Freedom Summer workers ' murders Civil Rights Act of 1964 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches `` How Long, Not Long '' Voting Rights Act of 1965 Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections March Against Fear White House Conference on Civil Rights Chicago Freedom Movement / Chicago open housing movement Memphis sanitation strike King assassination funeral riots Poor People 's Campaign Civil Rights Act of 1968 Green v. County School Board of New Kent County Activist groups Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights Atlanta Student Movement Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters Congress of Racial Equality ( CORE ) Committee on Appeal for Human Rights Council for United Civil Rights Leadership Dallas County Voters League Deacons for Defense and Justice Georgia Council on Human Relations Highlander Folk School Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights Montgomery Improvement Association Nashville Student Movement NAACP Youth Council Northern Student Movement National Council of Negro Women National Urban League Operation Breadbasket Regional Council of Negro Leadership Southern Christian Leadership Conference ( SCLC ) Southern Regional Council Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee ( SNCC ) The Freedom Singers Wednesdays in Mississippi Women 's Political Council Activists Ralph Abernathy Victoria Gray Adams Zev Aelony Mathew Ahmann William G. Anderson Gwendolyn Armstrong Arnold Aronson Ella Baker Marion Barry Daisy Bates Harry Belafonte James Bevel Claude Black Gloria Blackwell Randolph Blackwell Unita Blackwell Ezell Blair Jr. Joanne Bland Julian Bond Joseph E. Boone William Holmes Borders Amelia Boynton Raylawni Branch Ruby Bridges Aurelia Browder H. Rap Brown Guy Carawan Stokely Carmichael Johnnie Carr James Chaney J.L. Chestnut Colia Lafayette Clark Ramsey Clark Septima Clark Xernona Clayton Eldridge Cleaver Kathleen Cleaver Charles E. Cobb Jr. Annie Lee Cooper Dorothy Cotton Claudette Colvin Vernon Dahmer Jonathan Daniels Joseph DeLaine Dave Dennis Annie Devine Patricia Stephens Due Joseph Ellwanger Charles Evers Medgar Evers Myrlie Evers - Williams Chuck Fager James Farmer Walter E. Fauntroy James Forman Marie Foster Golden Frinks Andrew Goodman Fred Gray Jack Greenberg Dick Gregory Lawrence Guyot Prathia Hall Fannie Lou Hamer William E. Harbour Vincent Harding Dorothy Height Lola Hendricks Aaron Henry Oliver Hill Donald L. Hollowell James Hood Myles Horton Zilphia Horton T.R.M. Howard Ruby Hurley Jesse Jackson Jimmie Lee Jackson Richie Jean Jackson T.J. Jemison Esau Jenkins Barbara Rose Johns Vernon Johns Frank Minis Johnson Clarence Jones J. Charles Jones Matthew Jones Vernon Jordan Tom Kahn Clyde Kennard A.D. King C.B. King Coretta Scott King Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Sr. Bernard Lafayette James Lawson Bernard Lee Sanford R. Leigh Jim Letherer Stanley Levison John Lewis Viola Liuzzo Z. Alexander Looby Joseph Lowery Clara Luper Malcolm X Mae Mallory Vivian Malone Thurgood Marshall Benjamin Mays Franklin McCain Charles McDew Ralph McGill Floyd McKissick Joseph McNeil James Meredith William Ming Jack Minnis Amzie Moore Douglas E. Moore Harriette Moore Harry T. Moore William Lewis Moore Irene Morgan Bob Moses William Moyer Elijah Muhammad Diane Nash Charles Neblett Edgar Nixon Jack O'Dell James Orange Rosa Parks James Peck Charles Person Homer Plessy Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Fay Bellamy Powell Al Raby Lincoln Ragsdale A. Philip Randolph George Raymond Jr. Bernice Johnson Reagon Cordell Reagon James Reeb Frederick D. Reese Gloria Richardson David Richmond Bernice Robinson Jo Ann Robinson Bayard Rustin Bernie Sanders Michael Schwerner Cleveland Sellers Charles Sherrod Alexander D. Shimkin Fred Shuttlesworth Modjeska Monteith Simkins Glenn E. Smiley A. Maceo Smith Kelly Miller Smith Mary Louise Smith Maxine Smith Ruby Doris Smith - Robinson Charles Kenzie Steele Hank Thomas Dorothy Tillman A.P. Tureaud Hartman Turnbow Albert Turner C.T. Vivian Wyatt Tee Walker Hollis Watkins Walter Francis White Roy Wilkins Hosea Williams Kale Williams Robert F. Williams Andrew Young Whitney Young Sammy Younge Jr. James Zwerg Influences Nonviolence Padayatra Sermon on the Mount Mahatma Gandhi Ahimsa Satyagraha The Kingdom of God Is Within You Frederick Douglass W.E.B. Du Bois Mary McLeod Bethune Related Jim Crow laws Plessy v. Ferguson Separate but equal Buchanan v. Warley Hocutt v. Wilson Sweatt v. Painter Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc. v. United States Katzenbach v. McClung Loving v. Virginia Fifth Circuit Four Brown Chapel Holt Street Baptist Church Edmund Pettus Bridge March on Washington Movement African - American churches attacked Journey of Reconciliation Freedom Songs `` Kumbaya '' `` Keep Your Eyes on the Prize '' `` Oh, Freedom '' `` This Little Light of Mine '' `` We Shall Not Be Moved '' `` We Shall Overcome '' Spring Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam `` Beyond Vietnam : A Time to Break Silence '' Watts riots Voter Education Project 1960s counterculture In popular culture King Memorial Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument Freedom Riders National Monument Civil Rights Memorial The New Jim Crow ( 2010 ) Noted historians Taylor Branch Clayborne Carson John Dittmer Michael Eric Dyson Chuck Fager Adam Fairclough David Garrow David Halberstam Vincent Harding Steven F. Lawson Doug McAdam Diane McWhorter Charles M. Payne Timothy Tyson Akinyele Umoja Movement photographers Martin Luther King Jr. hide Speeches, movements, and protests Speeches `` Give Us the Ballot '' ( 1957 ) `` I Have a Dream '' ( 1963 ) `` How Long, Not Long '' ( 1965 ) `` Beyond Vietnam : A Time to Break Silence '' ( 1967 ) `` I 've Been to the Mountaintop '' ( 1968 ) Writings Stride Toward Freedom : The Montgomery Story ( 1958 ) The Measure of a Man ( 1959 ) `` What Is Man ? '' `` Second Emancipation Proclamation '' Strength to Love ( 1963 ) Letter from Birmingham Jail ( 1963 ) Why We Ca n't Wait ( 1964 ) Conscience for Change ( 1967 ) Where Do We Go from Here : Chaos or Community ? ( 1967 ) Movements and protests Montgomery bus boycott ( 1955 -- 1956 ) Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom ( 1957 ) Albany Movement ( 1961 -- 1962 ) Birmingham campaign ( 1963 ) March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom ( 1963 ) St. Augustine movement ( 1963 -- 1964 ) Selma to Montgomery marches ( 1965 ) Chicago Freedom Movement ( 1966 ) Mississippi March Against Fear ( 1966 ) Anti-Vietnam War movement ( 1967 ) Memphis sanitation strike ( 1968 ) Poor People 's Campaign ( 1968 ) People Family Coretta Scott King ( wife ) Yolanda King ( daughter ) Martin Luther King III ( son ) Dexter Scott King ( son ) Bernice King ( daughter ) Martin Luther King Sr. ( father ) Alberta Williams King ( mother ) Christine King Farris ( sister ) A.D. King ( brother ) Alveda King ( niece ) Other leaders Ralph Abernathy ( mentor and friend ) Ella Baker ( colleague ) James Bevel ( strategist / colleague ) Dorothy Cotton ( colleague ) Jesse Jackson ( protégé ) Bernard Lafayette ( colleague ) James Lawson ( colleague ) John Lewis ( colleague ) Joseph Lowery ( colleague ) Benjamin Mays ( mentor ) Diane Nash ( colleague ) James Orange ( colleague ) Bayard Rustin ( advisor ) Fred Shuttlesworth ( colleague ) C.T. Vivian ( colleague ) Wyatt Walker ( colleague ) Hosea Williams ( colleague ) Andrew Young ( colleague ) Assassination James Earl Ray Lorraine Motel ( now National Civil Rights Museum ) Funeral MLK Records Act Riots Loyd Jowers trial United States House Select Committee on Assassinations Media Film King : A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis ( 1970 documentary ) Our Friend, Martin ( 1999 animated ) Boycott ( 2001 film ) The Witness : From the Balcony of Room 306 ( 2008 documentary ) Alpha Man : The Brotherhood of MLK ( 2011 documentary ) Selma ( 2014 film ) All the Way ( 2016 film ) Television King ( 1978 miniseries ) `` The First Store '' ( The Jeffersons episode, 1980 ) `` Great X-Pectations '' ( A Different World episode, 1993 ) `` The Promised Land '' ( New York Undercover episode, 1997 ) `` Return of the King '' ( The Boondocks episode, 2006 ) Plays The Meeting ( 1987 ) The Mountaintop ( 2009 ) I Dream ( 2010 ) All the Way ( 2012 ) Illustrated Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story ( 1957 comic book ) Music `` Abraham, Martin and John '' ( Dion ) `` March ! For Martin Luther King '' ( John Fahey ) `` Martin Luther King 's Dream '' ( Strawbs ) `` Happy Birthday '' ( Stevie Wonder ) `` Pride ( In the Name of Love ) '' ( U2 ) `` MLK '' ( U2 ) `` King Holiday '' ( King Dream Chorus and Holiday Crew ) `` By The Time I Get To Arizona '' ( Public Enemy ) `` Shed a Little Light '' ( James Taylor ) `` Up to the Mountain '' ( Patti Griffin ) `` Never Alone Martin '' ( Jason Upton ) `` Symphony Of Brotherhood '' ( Miri Ben - Ari ) Joseph Schwantner : New Morning for the World ; Nicolas Flagello : The Passion of Martin Luther King ( 1995 album ) `` A Dream '' ( Common featuring Will.i.am ) `` Glory '' ( Common and John Legend ) Related topics Southern Christian Leadership Conference ( SCLC ) Martin Luther King Jr. Day Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial National Historical Park King Center for Nonviolent Social Change Dexter Avenue Baptist Church National Civil Rights Museum Authorship issues Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity Season for Nonviolence U.S. Capitol Rotunda sculpture Oval Office bust Homage to King sculpture, Atlanta Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. sculpture, Houston Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, San Francisco Landmark for Peace Memorial, Indianapolis Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. statue, Milwaukee The Dream sculpture, Portland, Oregon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library Memorials to Martin Luther King Jr. Eponymous streets America in the King Years Civil rights movement in popular culture Lee -- Jackson -- King Day Martin Luther King High School ( disambiguation ) Lycée Martin Luther King ( disambiguation ) Voting rights in the United States Constitutional provisions Article I Voter Qualifications Clause Elections Clause 1st Amendment 14th Amendment Equal Protection Clause 15th Amendment 17th Amendment 19th Amendment 23rd Amendment 24th Amendment 26th Amendment Federal laws Voting Rights Act of 1965 Amendments List of covered jurisdictions Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act National Voter Registration Act of 1993 Help America Vote Act of 2002 State laws Voter access Absentee ballot Early voting Postal voting Provisional ballot Voter registration in the U.S. Initiatives and referendums Recall election Vote denial Electoral fraud Grandfather clause Literacy test Poll tax Voter caging Voter ID laws Vote dilution Gerrymandering Plurality - at - large voting One man, one vote By group Women Youth Felons Foreigners Transgender people District of Columbia residents Puerto Rico residents Guam residents History Timeline Disenfranchisement after the Reconstruction Era Selma to Montgomery marches Timeline of women 's suffrage Woman Suffrage Parade of 1913 Silent Sentinels U.S. suffragists publications History of direct democracy Related Ballot access Campaign finance Citizenship Native Americans Disfranchisement Election Election law Elections Electoral reform Electoral College Redistricting Secret ballot Suffrage Voting Voting system Voter registration National Voting Rights Museum Suffrage Basic topics Universal suffrage Women Black Youth Resident foreigners Expatriates in country of origin Voting age Demeny voting Suffragette Compulsory voting Disfranchisement Women 's liberation movement By country Australia 1902 Commonwealth Franchise Act aboriginal women Japan Hong Kong Kuwait New Zealand Sweden Switzerland United Kingdom women Wales laws 1832 1918 1928 United States women Native Americans foreigners District of Columbia Puerto Rico amendments 15th 19th 23rd 24th 26th 1965 Voting Rights Act Events International Woman Suffrage Alliance conferences 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 1 July marches 2014 protests UK WSPU march ( 1906 ) Mud March ( 1907 ) Women 's Sunday ( 1908 ) Black Friday ( 1910 ) Battle of Downing Street ( 1910 ) Women 's Coronation Procession ( 1911 ) Great Pilgrimage ( 1913 ) Open Christmas Letter ( 1914 ) US Seneca Falls Convention ( 1848 ) Declaration of Sentiments ( 1848 ) Rochester Convention ( 1848 ) Ohio Women 's Convention ( 1850 ) National Women 's Rights Convention ( 1850 -- 1869 ) Suffrage Hikes ( 1912 -- 1914 ) Woman Suffrage Procession ( 1913 ) Silent Sentinels ( 1917 -- 1919 ) Night of Terror ( 1917 ) `` Give Us the Ballot '' ( 1957 ) Selma to Montgomery marches ( 1965 ) Related Age of candidacy US Voting Rights Museum Umbrella Movement Women Suffragists Timeline of women 's suffrage US in majority - Muslim countries Women 's suffrage organizations and publications Women 's rights activists Suffragette Memorial Pankhurst Centre Pankhurst Memorial Belmont - Paul Monument International Women 's Day Susan B. Anthony Day Women 's Equality Day Eagle House Justice Bell 1920 US presidential election Leser v. Garnett Popular culture `` The March of the Women '' ( 1910 song ) The Mother of Us All ( 1947 opera ) `` Sister Suffragette '' ( 1964 song ) Shoulder to Shoulder ( 1974 series ) Not for Ourselves Alone ( 1999 documentary ) Iron Jawed Angels ( 2004 film ) Great Petition ( 2008 sculpture ) Selma ( 2014 film ) Suffragette ( 2015 film ) Susan B. Anthony dollar 2020 US ten - dollar bill U.S. National Trails System National Geologic Trail Ice Age Floods Trail National Historic Trails Scenic motor routes California Trail El Camino Real de los Tejas Trail El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro Juan Bautista de Anza Trail Mormon Trail Nez Perce Trail Old Spanish Trail Oregon Trail Pony Express Trail Santa Fe Trail Selma to Montgomery Trail Trail of Tears Natural surface trails Ala Kahakai Trail Iditarod Trail Water trails Captain John Smith Chesapeake Trail Combination Lewis and Clark Trail ( motor & land & water ) Overmountain Victory Trail ( motor & land ) Star - Spangled Banner Trail ( motor & water ) Washington -- Rochambeau Revolutionary Route ( motor & water ) National Scenic Trails Appalachian Trail Arizona Trail Continental Divide Trail New England Trail Florida Trail Ice Age Trail Natchez Trace Trail North Country Trail Pacific Crest Trail Pacific Northwest Trail Potomac Heritage Trail National Water Trails Alabama Scenic River Trail Bronx River Blueway Chattahoochee River Water Trail Hudson River Greenway Water Trail Island Loop Route Kansas River Trail Mississippi National River and Recreation Area Water Trail Mississippi River Water Trail ( MRWT ) Great River Water Trail Missouri National Recreational River Water Trail Okefenokee Wilderness Canoe Trails Red Rock Water Trail Rock River Water Trail Waccamaw River Blue Trail Willamette River Water Trail National Recreation Trails National Park Service United States Forest Service Bureau of Land Management Related Triple Crown of Hiking Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Selma_to_Montgomery_marches&oldid=845729230 '' Categories : Selma to Montgomery marches Conflicts in 1965 National Historic Trails of the United States All - American Roads History of African - American civil rights Civil rights protests in the United States Protest marches History of Alabama 1965 in the United States Selma, Alabama History of Montgomery, Alabama Martin Luther King Jr. African - American history of Alabama 1965 in Alabama History of voting rights in the United States Protests in Alabama March 1965 events Civil rights movement Hidden categories : Webarchive template archiveis links Webarchive template wayback links Subscription required using via Pages containing links to subscription - only content Pages using deprecated image syntax Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from March 2015 Use mdy dates from November 2012 Articles containing video clips Talk Contents About Wikipedia Български Čeština Deutsch Ελληνικά Español Esperanto فارسی Français 한국어 Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית 日本 語 Português Русский Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska 10 more Edit links This page was last edited on 13 June 2018, at 18 : 42 ( UTC ). 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Question: reason for the 1965 selma to montgomery march
Answer: to demonstrate the desire of African-American citizens to exercise their constitutional right to vote