Fifty years ago, on March 7th, 1965, the first Selma to Montgomery March for civil rights was attempted. Several hundred marchers planned to follow US Route 80 (The Jefferson Davis Highway) to the Alabama state capital in Montgomery. They made it as far as the Pettus Bridge (see Selma detail map below) before being attacked by state troopers and forced to turn back. Two days later a second march was planned but was also cut short by a court order. The third march began March 21st and included 25,000 people with the protection of federal troops. The 54 mile walk to Montgomery was completed in three days.
The route of the march is now one of America's Byways...
The Selma Voting Rights Movement that led to the 1965 Voting Rights Act, introduced in Congress during the third march.
Journey through history along the trail that marks one of the major historic events in 20th-century American history, the 1965 Selma to Montgomery March, led by Martin Luther King, Jr. Wind through the streets of Selma; pass through countryside where marchers spent the night on their way to Montgomery....and also a National Historic Trail
The Selma Voting Rights Movement that led to the 1965 Voting Rights Act, introduced in Congress during the third march.
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