On March 25, 1965, 25,000 protestors marching for equal rights arrived on the steps of the state capitol building in Montgomery, Alabama, to deliver a message—literally and figuratively—to Governor George Wallace. The journey began on March 21, 54 miles away in Selma, Alabama, with a group of about 3,200 marchers. With numbers swelling as they went, they averaged 12 miles per day, sleeping in fields at night as they made an indelible display of resolve in the face of discrimination.
It was the third attempt at making the demonstrative march between the two cities, with the first one ending in the “Bloody Sunday” clash at Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge on March 7. The second attempt, led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., ended symbolically at the bridge before turning back. The Alabama National Guard and federal forces were deployed to ensure the safety of the protestors, which Wallace had said the state lacked the resources to do, helping them to complete the third march.
The event is known as one of the defining events of the Civil Rights Movement, and today there are several monuments to its legacy available for groups to visit. The march’s route is preserved as the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail, mostly along U.S. Highway 80. There are three interpretive centers along the route for groups to visit: One is in Selma (temporarily closed), one is in Lowndes (roughly halfway along the route) and one is in Montgomery. Each offers enriching ways for groups to engage with the history and legacy. Montgomery is also where you can visit the Rosa Parks Museum, among many noteworthy sites in Civil Rights history.
For more about the Selma to Montgomery trail, visit the National Park Service website.
Main Image: Alabama State Capitol, Montgomery, Alabama; Credit: Adobe/Chad Robertson
