March 7: Violence at the Edmund Pettus Bridge (1965)
Prayer Idea
Pray for those using nonviolence to achieve righteous goals and for those who choose to use violence against them.
History Note
Civil rights leader Malcolm X visited Selma, Alabama, on February 2, 1965. He was killed later that month in New York City.
On February 18, an Alabama state trooper shot and mortally wounded Jimmie Lee Jackson, a civil rights activist in Selma.
Jackson’s death precipitated efforts to hold a protest march from Selma to the Alabama capital of Montgomery. Black Americans wanted their right to vote to be recognized and protected.
On March 7, about 500 marchers led by Hosea Williams and John Lewis walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. The Alabama State Police blocked their way. When the marchers refused to disperse, the troopers attacked and beat them. Television cameras captured the violence.
Later that month, marchers successfully made their way from Selma to Montgomery. These events motivated President Lyndon Johnson and Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
On March 7, 2015, people gathered in Selma to mark the 50th anniversary of the first march. John Lewis was one of the original marchers who crossed the bridge that day with Barack and Michelle Obama, George and Laura Bush, and others. White House photo by Lawrence Jackson.
Learn More
Watch a video describing the Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965.
Learn more about the Selma to Montgomery marches at Homeschool History.
