Movement1965
Selma to Montgomery March Begins
Following Bloody Sunday on March 7, Martin Luther King Jr. led approximately 3,200 marchers from Selma toward Montgomery, Alabama, under the protection of federalized National Guard troops. By the time they reached the state capitol four days later, the march had grown to 25,000 participants.
Why It Matters
The successful completion of the Selma to Montgomery march demonstrated the power of peaceful protest and directly led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most important pieces of civil rights legislation in American history.