How Many Died In The March On Selma?

How Many Died In The March On Selma? 

The Selma to Montgomery March, also known as Bloody Sunday, was a turning point in the civil rights movement of the 1960s. The march was organised to protest the denial of voting rights to African-Americans and took place on 7th March 1965. An estimated 3,200 people participated in the historic march with the intention of marching from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, 54-miles away. This event was incredibly significant, as it became a major catalyst for the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which finally granted African-Americans the right to vote.

While the march was immensely successful and the end result had an undeniable impact, it came at a great cost and several lives were lost during the march. In this article, we will look at the fatalities of the march, and why it resulted in such a terrible outcome.

The Impact of Denied Voting Rights 

In the United States in the 1950s and 1960s, African-Americans were systematically denied the right to vote. This meant that from the 1940s until the early 1970s, African-Americans experienced a widespread deprivation of their civil liberties and were not allowed to participate in the electoral process. As a consequence, African-Americans were unable to exercise their civil rights and their voices were not heard or represented in politics.

The events that led to the Selma to Montgomery March began in December 1964 when African-American activists organised a voter registration drive in Selma, Alabama, with the aim of getting local African-Americans registered to vote. This initiative was however opposed by many white officials, and soon, African-American activists and civil rights leaders, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., were arrested in Selma. This prompted the African-American community to spring into action and organise the Selma to Montgomery March.

The Selma to Montgomery March 

The Selma to Montgomery march began on 7th March 1965 at Brown Chapel in Selma, Alabama and headed towards Montgomery, the state’s capitol. It has estimated that 3,200 people took part in the march, including civil rights activists and leaders, and members of the African-American community. The march lasted for five-days and arrived at the capitol in Montgomery on 25th March 1965.

Unfortunately, the march was met with extreme violence from the local law enforcement and state troopers, and 54 people were arrested. A particularly violent confrontation occurred at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where state troopers blocked the marchers’ path with heavy resistance. This event became known as ‘Bloody Sunday’, as several marchers were injured and beaten during this confrontation.

How Many Died In The March On Selma? 

The violent confrontation at the Edmund Pettus Bridge resulted in the deaths of three people. Viola Liuzzo, a white civil rights activist, died during the march when she was shot and killed by members of the Ku Klux Klan. The other two fatalities were both African-American men: Jimmie Lee Jackson died in the hospital on 26th February 1965, eight days after being shot by a state trooper who was trying to quell the march. The other victim, Cager Lee, was an elderly man who had participated in the march and was found dead in his home in Montgomery a few weeks later.

The Legacy of the Selma to Montgomery March 

The Selma to Montgomery march not only left a legacy of pain and suffering, but also a legacy of hope and progress, as it was a major factor in the adoption of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The march is also recognised for being a ground-breaking event in worldwide civil rights movements, and resulted in the efforts of African-Americans for the right to vote being rewarded.

The Selma to Montgomery march remains one of the most significant events in the civil rights movement of the 1960s. It was a moment of immense progress and triumph, where the sacrifices of the marchers were rewarded with the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. However, it was also an event that was marred with tragedy, as three people lost their lives as a result of the march. Overall, the march serves as a powerful reminder of the struggle for civil rights and justice, and the great cost and sacrifices made in pursuit of these rights.

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