The Birmingham Campaign (1963)

Police Chief Bull Connor

After a # of defeats, the Movement was looking for a victory

Perhaps the mostsegregated city in the U.S.

Known as “Bombingham”

Fred Shuttlesworth

16th Street Baptist Church

For a year Shuttles-worth & others had led a series of sit-ins, marches, pray-ins,boycotts, voter regi-stration drives

• Controversial move—recruited children to protest• “Children face the stinging darts of segre- gation as well as adults”

• Martin Luther King came to town to support the campaign• The campaign did not seem to be getting anywhere• Dr. King & 50 others arrested on Good Friday (King’s 13th arrest)• Writes Letter from Birmingham Jail— eloquently explains the need for the civil disobedience campaign

• 1st day 600 children arrested—now there were 1200 people in jail (capacity of 900)• Next day Bull Connor sets upon the protesters with attack dogs & clubs

25:45-42:30

• The next day, Bull Connor orders the fire department to drive away protesters with powerful water hoses• People around the country watched and were outraged; public opinion swung in favor of the protesters• John F. Kennedy sends civil rights bill to Congress

March on Washington, Aug. 1963

250,000 people peace-fully demonstrate to pressure Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act

Starting at 40:25

Civil Rights Act of 1964 Passed

• Ended discrimination in hotels, motels, restaurants, lunch counters, theaters and sporting arenas

• Gave the federal government responsibility for bringing discrimination cases to court—now the govt. would sue on people’s behalf