After the desegregation of Birmingham public schools the Klu Klux Klan was furious. On September 1963 the Klu Klux Klan decided to rebel and put a bomb in the church on sixteenth street and set it to go off at 10:20. 4 girls died from falling debris and others were injured.
The girls that were killed in the church were named Cynthia Wesley, Carol Denise McNair, Addie Mae Collins and Carole Robertson. Later the ones responsible for the bombings were convicted.
Afterward disarray broke out from the bomb the national guard was sent to help get order back in Birmingham.
Many of white families met with the dead girls parents to help grieve. Martin Luther King Jr. even spoke about blacks lives being "as hard as crucible steel." Although no city officials went to the graves or funeral more than 8,000 people showed up for both races.
"If these cruel and tragic events can only awaken that city and state - if they can only awaken this entire nation to a realization of the folly of racial injustice and hatred and violence, then it is not too late for all concerned to unite in steps toward peaceful progress before more lives are lost."-John F. Kennedy
"There is a great deal of frustration and despair and confusion in the Negro community. And there is a feeling of being alone and not being protected. If you walk the street, you aren't safe. If you stay at home, you aren't safe--there's a danger of a bomb. If you're in church now, it isn't safe. So the Negro feels that everywhere he goes, or if he remains stationary, he's in danger of some physical violence."
Birmingham was a major place for the civil rights movement and gaining independence step by step for all to have equal rights. When black men and woman would peacefully protest many of the marches and sit ins were met with brutality from the police. Bombs became the daily some people even called this place Bombingham. One of the protest centers was the 16th Street Baptist Church. Bomb threats were a common thing for the church and were meant to temporarily stop some of the meetings.
Works Cited
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Carr, Gregory E. "Bombingham." The American Mosaic: The African American Experience, ABC-CLIO, 2017, africanamerican.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1405761. Accessed 21 Mar. 2017.
"Congress of Racial Equality and members of the All Souls Church, Unitarian located in Washington, D.C. march in memory of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing victims. The banner, which says “No more Birminghams”, shows a picture of the aftermath of the bombing." Digital image. Luther Reads Letter from a Birmingham Jail. Luther Reads Letter from a Birmingham Jail, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2017. <https://sites.google.com/a/luther.edu/luther-reads-letter-from-a-birmingham-jail/about/historical-context>.
Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, Addie Mae Collins and Cynthia Wesley. Digital image. Daily News. Daily News, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2017. <http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/10-key-facts-16th-street-baptist-church-bombings-article-1.2361565>.
Herron, Matt. Martin Luther King, Jr., speaks at the funeral for Carole Denise McNair, 14, Addie Mae Collins, 14, and Cynthia Dianne Wesley, 14, three of the four girls killed in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. King said, "At times life is hard, as hard as crucible steel." Eight thousand people attended funeral. Digital image. Time. Time, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2017. <http://nation.time.com/2013/09/12/the-bombing-of-the-16th-street-baptist-church/photo/etks1810930/>.
JFK speaking publicly. Digital image. Health Wealth and Happiness. Health Wealth and Happiness, 27 Apr. 1961. Web. 24 Mar. 2017. <https://www.relfe.com/A06/jfk_conspiracy_illuminati_speech.html>.
Meacham, Jon. "Birmingham Resurrected." EBSCOhost. EBSCOhost, n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2017.
MLK Speaking For The Eulogy For The Young Victims Of The Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Bombing. Digital image. DrMartinLutherKingJr.com. Lovearth Network, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2017. <http://www.drmartinlutherkingjr.com/birminghamchurchbombingeulogy.htm>.
"1963 Birmingham Church Bombing Fast Facts." CNN. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2017.
Police officers stand guard at a roadblock at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, on September 16, 1963. Digital image. The Atlantic. The Atlantic, n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2017.
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A twisted and broken stained glass window from the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. Digital image. Daily News. Daily News, n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2017.
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