Months after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, African Americans in Alabama were still being blocked from registering to vote. In addition, violent racial attacks were occurring at an alarming rate. A group of Civil Rights activists, led by John Lewis, decided to take their cause straight to George Wallace, the governor of Alabama. They organized a non-violent march from Selma to the state capital in Montgomery, some 50-plus miles away. Governor Wallace permitted the state police to take “whatever measures necessary” to halt the march. Things came to a head on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma on March 7, 1965.
Wearing helmets and gas masks, charging Alabama state troopers pass up fallen demonstrators on the median strip of U.S. Highway 80. Troopers, acting on orders of Alabama governor George Wallace, broke up the proposed march by voting rights activists on th
What made this event so pivotal was that news cameras and photojournalists were on hand to record what happened when the police officers encountered the non-violent protesters. As you can see in these colorized photographs of the event, Bloody Sunday, as it came to be known, showed Americans the brutal reality of the fight for racial equality and helped shift national sympathies in favor of the Civil Rights activists.
600 Strong
A colorized photo of activists John Lewis and Hosea Williams leading the march from Selma. (alabama.gov)
Organizers John Lewis and Hosea Williams amassed a following of about 600 protesters, trained in non-violence, to join him on his march to Montgomery. They set out from their meeting place at the Brown Chapel AME Church on Sunday, March 7, on their trek to the state capitol. As they marched through downtown Selma, the protesters encountered no opposition. But to get to Montgomery, the protesters needed to cross Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge, named for a Confederate General and alleged grand dragon of Alabama’s Ku Klux Klan.
Blocking the Bridge
As this colorized photo shows, the protesters stood their ground as the state troopers advanced. (archive.gov)
With John Lewis and Hosea Williams in the lead, the protesters reached the crest of the Edmund Pettus Bridge where they saw an intimidating sight. The bridge was completely blocked by a solid wall of Alabama state police officers brandishing billy clubs. Joining the state police was a mounted unit of county deputies. Behind them was a huge group of white civilian spectators. Many of them were waving Confederate flags. They were all eager for a confrontation, but unlike the protestors, they were not committed to non-violence and peaceful protests. The protestors continued on their march forward but halted about 50 feet from the police officers.
Gas Masks and Billy Clubs
In this colorized photo, we see the troopers brutally beating the unarmed protesters. (eji.org)
The protesters stood their ground and refused to retreat. After a few tense moments, the police officers donned gas masks and advanced toward the protesters. They knocked Lewis and Williams to the ground and began beating the other protesters with their billy clubs. The officers lobbed tear gas into the crowd of protesters and, as the white spectators cheered, they continued their attack. The officers on horseback charged at the protesters and chased them off the bridge. Some officers even carried rubber tubing that was wrapped in barbed wire, which they swung at the protesters. The protesters had been trained by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee or SNCC. Despite the brutal attacks on them, they did not fight back.
Caught on Camera
News cameras captured the one-sided assault which was broadcast nationwide that evening. (pennlive.com)
During the Civil Rights Era, there were numerous violent attacks similar to this one. What made this event different was that television cameras and photojournalists were there to capture the entire incident on film. Just hours after the attack, footage of the violence had reached the headquarters of the major television networks in New York City. At about 9:30 that evening, news anchor Frank Reynolds from ABC broke in the network’s broadcast of the film Judgment at Nuremberg to air footage of the ‘Bloody Sunday’ incident in Selma. The majority of Americans were tuning in to watch the star-studded, award-winning movie, therefore they were glued to their televisions when the Selma footage was shown. For many people, this was the first time their eyes were open to the brutality of the Civil Rights movement.
Nationwide Outrage
A colorized photo of one of the many demonstrations held in solidarity for Selma's "Bloody Sunday" assault. (historytoday.com)
The video from the assault was aired several times in the coming days. It sparked outrage across the nation. For Americans who were on the fence about Civil Rights, this moment was a turning point. Seeing the white police officers so viciously attack the African American marchers, who were within their rights to peacefully assemble, brought the injustices of the day right into their living rooms. In response, sympathizers launched numerous demonstrations, protests, and sit-ins in solidarity with the Selma protesters.
Onward to Montgomery
The voting rights activists, joined by many others including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., eventually completed their march to Montgomery. (thoughtco.com)
The voting rights committee petitioned the federal court for a permit to lawfully continue their march for voting rights. It was granted. On March 21, protesters once again started their march to Montgomery. This time, however, the National Guard accompanied them for protection. Four days later, the crowd of protesters, now numbering more than 25,000, arrived on the steps of the Alabama state capitol. The ‘Bloody Sunday’ incident swayed public opinion and helped to push the Voting Rights Act through Congress. It was signed into law by President Johnson on August 6, 1965.
