Bloody Sunday

    It was 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 7, 1965. Twenty-five-year-old John Lewis led the way onto the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. Behind him were 600 protesters, walking peacefully two by two. Their goal was to march 50 miles to the state capital of Montgomery. There they would demand one of the most basic of freedoms: the right to vote.

    Halfway across the bridge, Lewis stopped in his tracks and stared ahead. He saw a wall of blue—dozens of Alabama state troopers in uniform. Behind the troopers were more men in regular clothes. They carried clubs the size of baseball bats.

    Lewis wasn’t sure what was about to happen. But he knew it could put lives at risk. 

    He also knew it could change the course of history.

    It was Sunday, March 7, 1965. John Lewis was 25. He stepped onto the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. Behind him were 600 others. They planned to march 50 miles to Montgomery, the state capital. There they would demand the right to vote.

    Halfway across the bridge, Lewis stopped. Ahead of him were dozens of Alabama state troopers. Behind them were more men. They carried clubs the size of baseball bats.

    Lewis wasn’t sure what would happen next. But he knew it could put lives at risk.

    He also knew it could change the course of history.

    At 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 7, 1965, 25-year-old John Lewis led the way onto the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. Behind him were 600 protesters, walking peacefully two by two. Their goal was to march 50 miles to the state capital of Montgomery, where they would demand one of the most basic of freedoms: the right to vote. 

    Halfway across the bridge, Lewis stopped in his tracks and stared ahead. He was facing a wall of blue—dozens of Alabama state troopers in uniform. Behind the troopers were more men in regular clothing, carrying clubs the size of baseball bats.

    Lewis wasn’t sure what was about to happen, but he knew it could put lives at risk.

    He also knew it could change the course of history.

    The march that day in Selma was nothing new. For years, Black Americans had been protesting to end segregation. They had won the right to go to the same schools as white people. They had gotten rid of “whites only” restrooms and lunch counters. Now came the next big battle: protecting their right to vote.

    They shouldn’t have had to fight. In 1870, the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution gave Black men the right to vote. But in the South, officials found ways around the law. Black people had to pass impossibly hard “literacy tests” before they could register to vote. Even if they passed, they still had to pay a fee called a poll tax.

    By the early 1960s, only one in five Black people in Alabama were registered.

    The march that day in Selma wasn’t unusual. For years, Black Americans had been protesting to end segregation. They had won the right to go to the same schools as white people, and they had gotten rid of “whites only” restrooms and lunch counters. Now they were fighting the next major battle: protecting their right to vote.

    They shouldn’t have had to fight at all. In 1870, the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution gave Black men the right to vote. But across the South, officials found ways around the law. Black people had to pass impossibly hard “literacy tests” before they could register to vote. Even if they passed, they still had to pay a fee called a poll tax.

    As a result, by the early 1960s, only 20 percent of Black Alabamans were registered to vote.

    John Lewis started working for voting rights in Selma in 1963. He was 23. As a kid, he had gone to segregated schools. He had been fighting for civil rights since he was 18.

    In Selma, Lewis helped Black people try to register to vote. Most of them were turned away. Some were thrown in jail just for standing in line. In two years, only 100 people were allowed to register.

    In January 1965, some people made a plan. Each day, hundreds lined up peacefully to register. Police took them to jail. There, they had to sleep on a cement floor.

    But this was their plan. The protesters wanted to fill Selma’s jails. They hoped to make the news. Then other people might notice and join the call for change.

    Then, in February, a man named Jimmie Lee Jackson was shot to death by police. He had been trying to protect his grandfather. At Jackson’s funeral, a new plan was made. Protesters would march from Selma to Montgomery. To get there, they had to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

    John Lewis started working for voting rights in Selma in 1963. He was only 23, but he had grown up going to segregated schools and had been fighting for civil rights since he was 18.

    In Selma, Lewis helped Black people try to register to vote. Most of them were turned away, and some were thrown in jail simply for standing in line on the sidewalk. In two years, only 100 people were allowed to register.

    In January 1965, some people decided they had had enough. Day after day, hundreds lined up peacefully to register. Police took them to jail, jabbing them with clubs. In jail, they had to sleep on a cement floor with no blankets.

    But getting arrested was actually their intention. The protesters wanted to fill Selma’s jails until they made the news. Hopefully, other Americans would notice and join the call for change.

    Then, in February, a man named Jimmie Lee Jackson was shot to death by police. He had been trying to protect his grandfather. At Jackson’s funeral, a plan was made. Protesters would march from Selma to Montgomery. To get there, they had to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

    John Lewis died this summer at age 80. After his work in Selma, he served as a congressman for 34 years. Even then he didn’t stop protesting. He led sit-ins and warned that some states still make it hard for Black Americans to vote. 

    Just a few weeks before he died, Lewis returned to the Edmund Pettus Bridge. He had a message for young Americans that day. “Speak up, speak out, get in the way,” he said. “We got to make America better for all of her people.” 

    John Lewis died this summer. He was 80. After his work in Selma, he was a congressman for 34 years. Even then he kept protesting. He led sit-ins. He warned that some states still make it hard for Black people to vote.

    A few weeks before he died, Lewis returned to the Edmund Pettus Bridge. He had a message for young people. “Speak up, speak out, get in the way,” he said. “We got to make America better for all of her people.”

    John Lewis died this summer at age 80. After his work in Selma, he served as a congressman for 34 years. Even then he didn’t stop protesting. He led sit-ins, and he warned that some states still make it difficult for Black Americans to vote.

    A few weeks before his death, Lewis returned to the Edmund Pettus Bridge. He had a message for young Americans that day. “Speak up, speak out, get in the way,” Lewis urged. “We got to make America better for all of her people.”