Important Protests and Riots That Changed the World Forever

22. March from Selma to Montgomery – Black Voters’ Enfranchisement, 1965

Succeeding the March on Washington, a series of three marches were carried out on the 87km highway from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965. This time, the focus of the marches was to protest for the enfranchisement of black voters and continue their cause against racial injustice.

After an activist was shot during a peaceful protest, a march from Selma to Montgomery, the capital of Alabama, was organized to defuse the community backlash.

The first march was attacked and came to be known as the Bloody Sunday; the second march also faced harassment. However, the third march was protected by decree of President Johnson and successfully rallied to Montgomery. Ultimately, the Voting Rights Act 1965 was passed as law.