Selma 1965

Question 1

Selma Alabama

Answer 1

SNCC still working for voter registration but white officials had many methods of stopping black people registering. Had largest WCC in Alabama

Question 2

Dallas county Alabama

Answer 2

(Location of Selma) more black people entitled to vote than white but only 1% were registered. Despite SNCC’s work, fear of violence stopped black people from registering.

Question 3

Events of January 1965

Answer 3

SCLC and MLK, invited by local groups, arrive in Selma and at the same time President Johnson was stressing the need for a voting rights act to make registration tests fair and help black people qualify to vote.

Question 4

Events in Selma

Answer 4

Protests against registration tests, people trying to register, confrontations with police and violent arrests.
Johnson again spoke in favour of registration, number of protesters grew, violence increased and one protester died

Question 5

Events of Sunday 7th March

Answer 5

600 protesters set out to march from Selma to Montgomery

Question 6

Events of march from Selma to Montgomery

Answer 6

State troopers stopped them at Edmund Pettus Bridge near Selma. They attacked them with tear gas, clubs and electric cattle prods.
Protesters fled and were chased.
USA made world headlines for it’s abuse of black people

Question 7

Congress reaction

Answer 7

In both parts of congress many spoke against the violence and in favour of voter registration.

Question 8

Reaction of US public

Answer 8

Hundreds of people, black and white, marched all over the USA in support of those marchers

Question 9

Johnson’s intervention

Answer 9

Johnson used an executive order to federalise the state national guard.
21-24th March they escorted marchers from Selma to Montgomery. King lead them and gave a speech to 25,000 in Montgomery on 25th of March