16th Street Baptist Church Bombing Essay

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As of the late 1960s, Birmingham, Alabama became one of the most racially discriminatory and segregated cities in the United States. Governor George Wallace was a leading foe of desegregation, and the years were the strongest and most violent chapters of the Ku Klux Klan (History.com). Countless unsolved bombings and police brutalities had terrorized the African American populace since World War II. The 16th Street Baptist Church was the largest black in Birmingham and was also used as a meeting place for civil rights leaders. “It was no accident that the Ku Klux Klan targeted the 16th Street Baptist Church” says Carolyn McKinstry, who was 14 years old at the time, was secretary of her Sunday school class. She was taking attendance records into the sanctuary when the bomb went off (NPR.org). Just three weeks before, …show more content…

Sunday Service, a seemingly peaceful day. At approximately 10:22 a.m., an explosion shook the 16th Street Baptist Church. A bomb was detonated on the east side of the building, caving in its interior walls. The impact of the discharge killed four girls and injured more than 20 others (History.com). The bodies of Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley, all 14, were found in the basement bathroom under the rubble with 11-year-old Denise McNair (nydailynews.com). The event left a lasting effect on America. The bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church on September 15 was the third bombing in 11 days, after a federal court order had come down mandating the integration of Alabama’s school system (History.com). Multitudes of furious black protesters gathered at the location of the bombing in revolt. Governor George Wallace immediately sent authorities to cease the protests and two African American men were killed. The violent explosion eventually led to the Civil Rights Act being signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 and the Voting Rights Act in 1965

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