Selma to Montgomery March
Lyndon B Johnson was
the 36th American President who served in office from November 22, 1963 to January 20, 1969. One of the important events during his presidency was the
series of Selma Marches.
Selma March
Facts for kids
The following fact
sheet contains interesting facts and information on the Selma to
Montgomery Marches.
Selma March
Facts for kids
Selma March
Facts - 1:
African Americans continued to have difficulty
registering to vote in many areas and voter registration
campaigns met with intimidation and bitter, often
violent, opposition.
Selma March
Facts -
2:
African Americans made up almost half the population,
but only 2% were registered voters.
Selma March
Facts - 3:
The First March from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama,
took place on March 7, 1965 and was organized by John Lewis a leader
of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), who had
been one of the original 1961
Freedom
Riders. John Lewis became one of the "Big Six" leaders of the
Civil Rights Movement
Selma March
Facts - 4:
The first Selma marchers, who numbered about 600, were
met with violence from heavily armed state troopers and were
tear-gassed, clubbed and trampled by horses at the edge of the city,
by the Edmund Pettus Bridge. More than fifty of the marchers were
hospitalized.
Selma March
Facts - 5:
There was extensive television and newspapers coverage
of the event that became known as "Bloody Sunday".
Selma March
Facts - 6:
Demonstrations in support of the marchers, protesting
against the violence of Bloody Sunday, were held in 80
towns and cities across the nation. Dr. Martin Luther
King called for civil rights supporters to come to Selma
for a second "symbolic" March to Selma on March 9, 1965
to highlight the voting issue.
Selma March
Facts - 7: The second march
to Selma on March 9, 1965 ended abruptly at a barricade
of state troopers. Dr. Martin Luther King turned it
around at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the same bridge that
had been the scene of the violent conflict.
Selma March
Facts - 8: The abandonment of
the second Selma March caused tension with the more
militant activists in the Student Nonviolent
Coordinating Committee (SNCC), who were advocating more
radical tactics. The SNCC were moving from the
non-violent protests of Dr. Martin Luther King to more
active opposition to racism.
Continued...
Selma March
Facts for kids
Facts
about the Selma March for kids
The following fact
sheet continues with facts about Selma Marches.
Selma March
Facts for kids
Selma March
Facts -
9: Dr. Martin Luther King and other
Civil Rights leaders sought court protection for a
third, full-scale march from Selma to the state capitol
in Montgomery.
Selma March
Facts -
10: On March 20, 1965, President Lyndon
B. Johnson issued an executive order federalizing the
Alabama National Guard and authorizes whatever federal
forces the Defense Secretary deems necessary.
Selma March
Facts - 11:
On Sunday 21 March 1965, Dr. Martin Luther King
led the third, 54-mile (87 km), march from
Selma to Montgomery. It was attended by 3,200 marchers
and was protected by 2,000 U.S. Army soldiers, 1,900
members of the Alabama National Guard under Federal
command, closely watched by many FBI agents and Federal
Marshals.
Selma March
Facts -
12: The marchers
walked at a pace of about 12 miles each day, and slept
in fields along the way. By the time they reached the
state capital of Montgomery on Thursday, March 25, their
numbers had swelled to over 25,000.
Selma March
Facts - 13: The
Voting Rights Act of 1965 was
signed into law by President Johnson on August 6, 1965 to safeguard
the right to vote of Black Americans and banning the use of literacy
tests.
Selma March
Facts - 14: Less than five months after the three marches,
President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The
new law had an immediate impact on African Americans. By the end of
1965 250,000 new black voters had been registered
Selma March
Facts - 15: The Selma to Montgomery
march has been re-enacted many times on its anniversary. In 1996 the
Selma-to-Montgomery National Historic Trail was created by Congress
Selma March
Facts for kids
Selma March - President Lyndon Johnson Video
The article on the Selma March provides detailed facts and a summary of one of the important events during his presidential term in office. The following
Lyndon Johnson video will
give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 36th American President whose presidency spanned from November 22, 1963 to January 20, 1969.
Selma March
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Interesting Facts about Selma March for kids and schools
●
Summary of the Selma March in US history
●
The Selma March, a major
event in US history
●
Lyndon Johnson from November 22, 1963 to January 20, 1969
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Fast, fun facts about the Selma March
●
Foreign & Domestic
policies of President Lyndon Johnson
● Lyndon Johnson Presidency and
Selma March for schools,
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