The Fight for the Right to Vote
One of the most important promises of democracy in America is the promise that every person is allowed to vote for the president and other important leaders. In the south in the 1960s, the cities were not allowed to keep blacks away from the voting booth, but they did find other ways to stop them from voting. Every person who votes must first be registered. This is when a person proves that they are a citizen of America and puts their name down on a list of voters. Normally, it is easy to be registered. But for black people in Selma, Alabama, it was nearly impossible. The government of Selma made people take difficult reading tests or pay money before they could be registered. Sometimes the government would take so long to register the black voters that the election was already over and it was too late.
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Marching for the Vote
One tragic day, the Selma police shot and killed a young man named Jimmie Lee Jackson while he and his mother tried to register to vote. Dr. King and his friends knew that they had to do something to draw attention to the violence and the need for laws to protect voting rights. Dr. King and other leaders planned a march from Selma to Montgomery, the capital of Alabama.
The marchers never made it to Montgomery. On the day of the march, police officers blocked the way across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, and when the marchers refused to go away, the lawmen attacked them with clubs and tear gas. Many of the marchers were hurt so badly they needed to be taken to the hospital. This day became known as “Bloody Sunday.”
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The Right is Granted
President Johnson and the country were appalled by the events of “Bloody Sunday.” President Johnson assured the country that everyone would have guaranteed voting rights soon—democracy depended on it. A few weeks later Dr. King and the protesters marched for days all the way to Montgomery. Twenty-five thousand people welcomed the marchers and Dr. King made a speech about his hope that America would soon be at peace. Soon after, President Johnson signed a law that guaranteed the right to vote for all people, just as American democracy promised.
