III 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. CON. RES. 8 

Expressing the sense of Congress that the United States Postal Service 

should issue a commemorative stamp honoring the 50th anniversary 

of the three civil rights marches from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, 

Alabama that took place over the course of several weeks in March 

1965. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 4, 2015 

Mr. BROWN (for himself, Mr. SCOTT, Mrs. MCCASKILL, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, 

Mr. DONNELLY, Mr. COONS, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. SANDERS, Ms. WARREN, 

Ms. COLLINS, Mrs. CAPITO, and Mr. PORTMAN) submitted the following 

concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Homeland 

Security and Governmental Affairs 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of Congress that the United States 

Postal Service should issue a commemorative stamp honoring the 50th anniversary of the three civil rights 

marches from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, Alabama 

that took place over the course of several weeks in March 

1965. 

Whereas, on March 7, 1965 ‘‘Bloody Sunday’’, approximately 

600 civil rights marchers, led by now-Representative 

John Lewis of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and Reverend Hosea Williams of the Southern 

Christian Leadership Conference, headed east out of 


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•SCON 8 IS 

Selma, Alabama, to the State Capitol in Montgomery, 

Alabama; 

Whereas the civil rights activists sought to protest discriminatory voter registration practices, and the shooting of 

Jimmie Lee Jackson, who was shot after protecting his 

mother and grandfather in a civil rights demonstration 

on February 18, 1965, in a restaurant in Marion, Alabama, and died eight days later on February 26, 1965; 

Whereas the nonviolent marchers were met and attacked with 

clubs, whips, police dogs, and tear gas carried by State 

troopers, local lawmen, and townspeople at the Edmund 

Pettus Bridge as they were leaving Selma; 

Whereas dozens of peaceful marchers were injured in the 

forced retreat by State troopers, local lawmen, and 

townspeople; 

Whereas images of innocent protestors brutally beaten and 

severely injured on March 7, 1965, remembered as 

‘‘Bloody Sunday’’, were depicted in television screens and 

in newspaper articles across the country; 

Whereas Bloody Sunday galvanized a generation of civil 

rights activists, and heightened support and awareness 

for the civil rights movement; 

Whereas, on March 9, 1965, two days later, Reverend Martin 

Luther King, Jr., led a nonviolent protest reportedly as 

many as 2,500 people before turning around after crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge due to a barricade of 

State troopers; 

Whereas, on March 15, 1965, despite pressure from political 

figures, U.S. District Judge Frank M. Johnson, Jr., 

issued an injunction allowing the voting rights march 

from Selma to Montgomery to proceed, overturning thenVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:34 Mar 04, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SC8.IS SC8

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•SCON 8 IS 

Alabama Governor George Wallace’s prohibition of the 

protest; 

Whereas, on March 21, 1965, with the protection of U.S. 

Army troops and the Alabama National Guard, more 

than 3,000 people, led by Reverend Martin Luther King, 

Jr., set out from Selma to Montgomery, a 54-mile journey, marching an average of twelve miles a day along 

Route 80 and sleeping in fields; 

Whereas the nonviolent protestors safely reached the steps of 

the Alabama State Capitol on March 25, 1965, by which 

point their numbers had grown to 25,000, including 

many religious and community leaders of all denominations, races, and backgrounds; 

Whereas during these pivotal weeks, on March 17, 1965, and 

with the Selma protestors at the forefront, President 

Lyndon Johnson addressed a joint session of Congress, 

calling for Federal voting rights legislation to protect African-Americans from barriers that prevented them from 

voting; 

Whereas with the Nation captivated by the courage and conviction displayed by the civil rights activists, the United 

States Congress passed and President Lyndon B. Johnson enacted into law the landmark Voting Rights Act of 

1965 on August 6, 1965; and 

Whereas issuing a postage stamp honoring the fiftieth anniversary of the civil rights marches is fitting and proper 

because the marches united our country and helped affirm the principle that all Americans shall be treated 

equally at the voting booths as guaranteed under the 

United States Constitution: Now, therefore, be it 


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•SCON 8 IS 

1 Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 

2 concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that— 

3 (1) the Postmaster General should issue a com4 memorative postage stamp honoring the 50th anni5 versary of the three civil rights marches from Selma, 

6 Alabama, to Montgomery, Alabama; and 

7 (2) such stamp should— 

8 (A) be issued in the denomination used for 

9 first-class mail up to 1 ounce in weight; 

10 (B) bear such illustration or picture as the 

11 Postmaster General determines; and 

12 (C) be placed in sale at such time and for 

13 such period as the Postmaster General deter14 mines. 

Æ 


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