WHAT HAPPENED IN SELMA
By Graham
The march from Selma to Montgomery was so influential that it made the Civil Rights movement much more well known in American history. The events that occurred in Selma, such as Bloody Sunday, James Reeb's death, and Jimmie Lee Jackson's murder, resulted in a national outcry that encouraged more people to join the movement for equal rights. All three of these events were huge and extremely motivational for the movement.
The death of Jimmie Lee Jackson also had a huge influence on the participation of more activists. His death was the spark on the march to Montgomery because of how innocent he was when he was shot and how loyal he was to his family and to the movement before he was shot. Hee influenced more activists to protest.
Next came Bloody Sunday. Bloody Sunday also had a very huge impact on participation in the movement as it was filmed on live TV. This resulted in tens of thousands of people all over the United States watching peaceful protesters getting brutally beat up, attacked by dogs, and tear gassed. Bloody Sunday was a symbol of how segregation needs to be put to an end. While I was on the bridge where it happened, I imagined what it would look like if it were to happen right then and there. I felt that if I had been there, I would’ve tried my best to help every person I could.
After the events of Bloody Sunday, James Reeb, a white minister, was inspired to go be involved in the marches. Reeb was beaten to death because of his participation. What made this so compelling was how white people in Alabama were so full of contempt that they would kill a white man with the same privileges they had just because he believed in justice for everyone. The events at Selma motivated more and more people to join the Civil Rights movement because, without the events at Selma, the Civil Rights movement wouldn’t have taken the path it did to bring us where we are today.
The death of Jimmie Lee Jackson also had a huge influence on the participation of more activists. His death was the spark on the march to Montgomery because of how innocent he was when he was shot and how loyal he was to his family and to the movement before he was shot. Hee influenced more activists to protest.
Next came Bloody Sunday. Bloody Sunday also had a very huge impact on participation in the movement as it was filmed on live TV. This resulted in tens of thousands of people all over the United States watching peaceful protesters getting brutally beat up, attacked by dogs, and tear gassed. Bloody Sunday was a symbol of how segregation needs to be put to an end. While I was on the bridge where it happened, I imagined what it would look like if it were to happen right then and there. I felt that if I had been there, I would’ve tried my best to help every person I could.
After the events of Bloody Sunday, James Reeb, a white minister, was inspired to go be involved in the marches. Reeb was beaten to death because of his participation. What made this so compelling was how white people in Alabama were so full of contempt that they would kill a white man with the same privileges they had just because he believed in justice for everyone. The events at Selma motivated more and more people to join the Civil Rights movement because, without the events at Selma, the Civil Rights movement wouldn’t have taken the path it did to bring us where we are today.