16th Street Baptist Church Bombing Research Paper

The Birmingham Church Bombing is possibly one of the most significant events in history throughout the segregation period, majorly for the African American communities that were affected by this time. The causes, nature, shot-term and long-term impacts of this bombing all play a role in its significance both at the time and today. As of the late 1960’s, Birmingham in Alabama was known to be one of America’s most segregated and racially discriminatory cities, due to the racism present in this city, it meant that there were many events of segregation that caused this bombing. At that time, the governor of Alabama, George Wallace was a leading figure of desegregation.

One of an impactful, historical tragedy in U.S history is the Boston Bombing. On April 15, 2013, at about 2:50 p.m., two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. The bombs explode within 8-12 seconds of each other, and they were about 50-100 yards apart. 3 people got killed and more than 260 people got injured. The window of the store near the explosion were broken and a window on the third floor of the Boston Public Library was damaged.

The Tulsa Race Riot was the destruction of Black Wall Street in 1921, which was caused by an allegation of a white woman accusing a black man of rape. It lasted from May 31st to June 1st. The Tulsa Race Riot caused plenty of damage from “dozens of deaths [and] hundreds of injuries” to the destruction of Black Wall Street leading to unemployment of the black community (Hoberock n. pag.). An estimated property loss was over $2.3 million. This was an important event in our Nation’s history because “it teaches how far hatred [and violence] can go” (Hoberock n. pag.).

Drew Becker 22-3-18 CRW Henderson The Birmingham Church Bombing The 1960s was known for its upheaval and civil unrest. One of the most notable examples was the Birmingham Church bombing. The bombing influenced not only the civil rights movement in the United States.

Emmett Till: the murder the propelled the civil rights movement In the early 1900s, racism was about as common anything you could imagine throughout the southern states. The white people had the authority over the black people, however the blacks and whites that were against racial discrimination, grew tired and angry of this and decided to do something about it. This was called the civil rights movement. There were many events some small and some big but, the murder of Emmett Till was certainly a big event considering its effect and what happened.

In 1963, many blacks participated in the March in Washington D.C. to hear Martin King Jr. 's famous speech. President John F. Kennedy praised it for its "quiet dignity." After two weeks, a bomb exploded in which four young girls were murdered in Birmingham church at Sunday school. Since, there was a lack of enforcement of Civil Rights laws and the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. violence ensued. The nonviolence approach became less popular due to increase of unemployment and the growing concentration of African Americans in urban centers.

September 15, 1963 - A bomb blast at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, kills four African-American girls during church services. At least 14 others are injured in the explosion, including Sarah Collins, the 12-year-old sister of Addie Mae Collins, who loses an eye. Three former Ku Klux Klan members are eventually convicted of murder for the bombing. Victims: Addie Mae Collins, 14 Denise McNair, 11 Carole Robertson, 14 Cynthia Wesley, 14 Timeline: September 15, 1963 - Four girls are killed and 14 injured in a bomb blast at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama.

Violent, racist terrorism against African Americans was at its peak when Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr was arrested in 1963. Before his arrest, Dr. King went to Birmingham to protest for injustice and segregation, but his methods were to destructive for the community. In the missive, “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Dr. King, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, makes an effort to convince his fellow eight white clergymen that it is time to take immediate actions towards injustice and the increased violence among people. By appealing to ethos and pathos, Dr. King convinces his fellow clergymen of the unfairness of segregation.

Four innocent lives taken, twenty-two people injured, causing affliction in the families lives. Because of Birmingham having a big impact United States and the Civil Rights Movement, it changed racial history. The KKK had a momentous role in the Racial equality fight, The Civil Rights Movement. Birmingham 16th Street Church Bombing had a significant impact on the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.

In the aftermath, thousands of black protesters gathered at the scene of the bombing. When the police went to break up the protests, violence broke out across the city. Many people were arrested and two young African American men died before the National Guard was called in and restored order. Also, the bombing impacted the support to end segregation greatly and adding more support from many angry people because of the four innocent little girl’s

On May 14th, the greyhound bus arrived and there were 200 white people waiting to attack the bus and the Freedom Riders. This caused the bus driver to not stop in the terminal, and continue straight with the mob of people were following the bus. As the bus continued, the cars of angry people followed, but the tires on the bus were wearing out. They busted, and the mob started attacking the bus. One man threw a bomb on the bus, and the people on the bus fortunately escaped.

The 16th Street Baptist Church bombing marked a turning point during the Civil Rights Movement. Intended as a meeting place for civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr., the the attack created an uproar. The bombing took place in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963, and it was an act of white supremacist terrorism performed by the Klu Klux Klan. Sticks of dynamite were placed beneath the front steps of the church and went off as four colored girls were innocently walking by. Morrison utilizes the historic event by incorporating it with Guitar’s job as a Seven Days member: “Four little colored girls had been blown out of a church, and his mission was to approximate as best he could a similar death of four little white girls come Sunday, since

(Foner 173). This event was not just an act of the KKK, but other Southern whites as well, and it truly represented the violence and mass terrorism of a time that was supposed to show progression in the treatment of

Black communities were protesting but it was only really affecting the people who were just following orders from people higher up. “They had touched upon something deeper than protest or religion; though now images of all the church meetings of my life welled up within me with much suppressed

1963 Church Bombing “We've got to face the fact that some people say you fight fire best with fire, but we say you put fire out best with water. We say you don't fight racism with racism. We're gonna fight racism with solidarity” (Fred Hampton). The day of the Bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church was a day where fire was fought with fire. According to the article, “Birmingham Baptist Church Bombing.", a black man was murdered by an officer who believed that the black man was apart of an uprising for civil rights.