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Selma To Montgomery National Historic TrailTheme(s): Civil Rights | African American | |
Description:
In an effort to dramatize the need for voting rights legislation, a peaceful non-violent march from Selma to Montgomery was planned. On March 7, 1965 the march set out from Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma, Alabama. Once the marchers reached the Edmund Pettus Bridge, they were brutally beaten by law enforcement officers. The event was televised all across the nation. Two days later, Dr. King led a second march from Brown Chapel towards Montgomery; this march was peacefully turned around at the point of confrontation. On March 21, 1965 a third march under the protection of the National Guard began at Brown Chapel once again and successfully made its way to the State Capital in Montgomery in five days, after walking 54 miles. This monumental event captured by news media brought the struggle of voting rights of African Americans to the forefront of this nation's conscious. As a result, Congress rushed to enact legislation that would guarantee voting rights for all Americans. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act on August 6, 1965.
Designations:
Alabama State Scenic Highway (August 1995)
National Scenic Byway (December 1995)
All-American Road (January 1996)
Getting Around:
An automobile is required to travel along the Trail at the present time.
Activites:
Auto_Touring | And more.
Directions to Selma To Montgomery National Historic Trail
Plane:
Montgomery, Alabama has a commercial Airport. Selma, Alabama has a small airport for private planes.
Car:
To connect with Highway 80 in Montgomery take I-85 west from Atlanta,GA; I-65 north from Mobile or I-65 south from Birmingham, AL.
U.S. Highway 80 runs from the coast in Savannah, GA to Pecos, TX.
Public Transportation
Commercial buses travel between Selma and Montgomery
Attractions:
National Voting Rights Museum
Phone:(334) 875-9264
Alabama State Capitol
Nearby Parks:
Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site (94 miles)
Tuskegee Airman National Historic Site (94 miles)
Horseshoe Bend National Military Park (206 miles)
Russell Cave National Monument (271 miles)
Natchez Trace Parkway (277 miles)
Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail (214 miles)
Martin Luther King Jr National Historic Site (216 miles)
Andersonville National Historic Site (208 miles)
Jimmy Carter National Historic Site (208 miles)
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Alabama Road Maps (AL Maps)
Alabama Photos