Advocating the Dream: 7 notable mass gatherings of the Civil Rights Movement

The Selma March — 1965

In response to the violent suppression of voting registration efforts in the southern states, especially Alabama, civil rights activists organized a march from Selma to Montgomery.

Groups including the Southern Christian Leadership Council and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee organized the march, which had King at the helm.  

The march was famously met with intense violence, with state troopers assaulting participants on March 7 in what became known as “Bloody Sunday,” and a white Unitarian minister named James Reeb being beaten to death on March 9.

Nevertheless, the marchers persisted, with around 2,000 walking from Selma to Montgomery from March 21-25. A rally was held in Montgomery that had around 50,000 supporters.

“That August, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which guaranteed the right to vote (first awarded by the 15th Amendment) to all African Americans,” noted History.com.

“Along with the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act was one of the most expansive pieces of civil rights legislation in American history. It greatly reduced the disparity between black and white voters in the U.S. and allowed greater numbers of African Americans to participate in politics and government at the local, state and national level.”