Birmingham, Alabama

Describe the events that shocked the world in Birmingham 1963.

Explain why the events in Birmingham were useful to the civil rights movement.

Problems with the civil rights movement in 1962

• 1962 demonstrations had only won small victories and made limited progress

• MLK and other leaders didn’t know if further demonstrations would be successful

• MLK and the SCLC had failed to achieve real changes• Civil rights depended on large numbers of protestors

willing to go to jail• Court injunction against protesting, 800% increase in bail costs, few

volunteered to demonstrate as it could mean losing homes and jobs while in jail long term

Why Birmingham, Alabama?

• KKK was the most violent in the USA

• Police force led by Eugene ‘Bull’ Connor

• Governor was George Wallace - “segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever”

3

Objectives

• MLK and Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth had 2 clear objectives:

• Desegregate public facilities

• Desegregate department stores

4

MLK in Birmingham

• MLK arrived on April 3rd, 1963 – he describes the city as “I think I should give the reasons for my being in Birmingham. Birmingham is probably the most segregated city in the United States. Its ugly record of police brutality is known in every section of the country. There have been more unsolved bombings of Negro homes and churches in Birmingham than in any city in this nation. These are the hard, brutal and unbelievable facts.”

• MLK decided Birmingham was the place to grab the headlines and achieve success

Martin Luther King visits ‘Bombingham’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0lD37bq8YI

MLK is arrested — while in jail he writes an open letter to the American people asking them if they will side with the racist whites like Bull Connor or will stand by their Declaration of Independence and uphold the 1st amendment ‘that all men are created equal’

Project C– Fill the jails, Force a

Change– MLK and Shuttlesworth

knew it was only a matter of time before Bull Connor took extreme action

– Previous demonstrations and sit-ins had not worked

– King decided to use children to get their point across and shock the nation

7

D-Day May 2nd, 1963• “Kids there’s going to be a party at the park”

– Students left school to demonstrate– Congregating at a church, using their non-violent

protest, they marched towards the police– Students were arrested (973 total) aged 6-18– Cells meant for 50 – held 300 children– Events of the day were mostly non-violent

Double D-Day, May 3rd, 1963

• Police waited with dogs and fire hoses• ‘Bull’ Connor ran out of cells, so began

blowing children off of their feet• As young children were attacked news

reporters captured the images on film• Dogs set on students – 1922 children sent to

jail, the jail was full• They were then taken to the fair grounds and

locked in a pen – some stayed as long as 2 weeks

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/clips/zdgg9j6

Result of D-Day

• Americans were horrified and shocked as they watched white police officers attack children with fire hoses, dog, batons, tear gas and electric cattle prods

10

KKK retaliation

• KKK members were furious to hear that Birmingham was desegregating

• Klansmen rioted in the city and firebombed black churches and homes

• Gaston Motel- bombed by KKK- as civil rights workers escaped building, they were attacked by Alabama State Police

• 40 injured, 7 shops destroyed by fire11

• Sunday September 15th, 1963

• Tensions running high after civil rights leaders began promoting voting rights

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/clips/ztjjmp3

12

Kennedy’s Involvement

• President forced to take federal action• Appeared on tv and promised to do something

saying “race has no place in American life or law”

• Ordered an end to segregation in Birmingham• May 13th, 1963 — 3000 troops are sent in to

restore order

13

Turning point in the civil rights movement

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCxE6i_SzoQ

• Parents and children marched together

–Despite Bull Connors orders the firemen refused to release the water

• 20,000 skipped school to go to jail

• Businesses desegregated after a boycott

Effects of the Children's March

• School Board expelled children

• 11 page spread in Life Magazine

• 186 cities marched to support the children

• President Kennedy – • Finally called for change June 11th, 1963

• ***Revived the civil rights movement****

King almost called off the march

MLK worried about the effect on the children

national media attention was bad for business

black and white businessmen got together to sort out a deal

toilets, lunch counters, changing rooms and water fountains would be desegregated within 90 days

KKK were furious

Black citizens of Birmingham were against thetactics used