what was the childrens march in 1963

What was the children's March of Birmingham?

The Children's March. The Children's Crusade was the name bestowed upon a march by hundreds of school students in Birmingham, Alabama, on May 2, May 3, May 4, and May 5, 1963, during the American Civil Rights Movement 's Birmingham Campaign. Initiated and organized by Rev. James Bevel, the purpose of the march was to walk downtown to talk...

What was the result of the Birmingham March of 1963?

On May 2, 1963, more than one thousand students skipped classes and gathered at Sixth Street Baptist Church to march to downtown Birmingham, Alabama. As they approached police lines, hundreds were arrested and carried off to jail in paddy wagons and school buses.

What was the Civil Rights Movement in 1963?

In the spring of 1963, Birmingham, Alabama, was the “do-or-die” battleground for the Civil Rights Movement. Heavy intimidation by Birmingham authorities left the Movement floundering.

Who were the children who marched in the Civil Rights Movement?

The children who marched into civil rights history. (CBS News) BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Fifty years ago Birmingham, Alabama, was the front line in the fight for civil rights and it wasn't going well. James Stewart and Arnetta Streeter-Gary took part in the Children's March in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963.

Where was the Children's March re-enacted?

A re-enactment of the Children's March (also known as the Children's Crusade) is set for Thursday, May 2, in downtown Birmingham. In 1963, pictures from Birmingham were shown around the world of children blasted by fire hoses. Of children attacked by dogs. Of children singing, "We Shall Overcome.".

Who was the Marine who was the leader of the Children's March?

Advertisement. Booker, a Marine, community activist and political consultant, was 14 at the time of the Children's March. While he is proud of their actions in 1963, change, he said, still came at a very slow pace. "The laws changed, but prevailing attitudes changed much slower.". Brenda Phillips Hong, a graduate of Western Olin High School in West ...

Where did the Hrabowski march?

They marched from south of town about two miles to 16th Street Baptist Church. "As a child, I was a fat nerd, but I loved school. I wanted to be part of anything that would bring better education," he said.

Who was the student who was locked up in the Ullman march?

Washington Booker , also a student at Ullman, was among the youths who were locked up. He had been reluctant about participating in the marches — not because he didn't believe in the cause, but because he knew what could happen. Booker grew up in the projects in a place called Loveman Village.

Why did Birmingham youth disobey their parents?

Fifty years ago in the spring of 1963, thousands of youths in Birmingham did just that — often disobeying their parents because they wanted to join a unified call ...

What was the purpose of the children's march?

The Children's Crusade, or Children's March, was a march by over 1,000 school students in Birmingham, Alabama on May 2–3, 1963. Initiated and organized by Rev. James Bevel, the purpose of the march was to walk downtown to talk to the mayor about segregation in their city.

Why was the Children's March important?

Before the Children's March, federal response was limited in an effort to balance federal authority and state rights. The Children's March played a pivotal role in ending legal segregation, as the media coverage of the event further brought the plight of Southern African Americans to the national stage.

What happened on May 2, 1963?

On May 2, 1963, thousands of children gathered at Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in place of their parents, who, under Alabama law and social oppression, faced harsh penalties such as loss of their jobs and jail time if they protested the racist and unjust segregation laws of Alabama.

When did segregation end in Birmingham?

After additional measures were taken, President Kennedy could not avoid the issue, and on June 11, 1963, presented his intentions to establish new federal civil rights legislation and ended segregation in Birmingham: This is not a sectional issue ...

Who was the president of the Civil Rights Movement?

But on September 15, the Ku Klux Klan bombed the 16th Street Baptist Church, killing four African American girls, and on November 22 President Kennedy was assassinated. It was President Lyndon B. Johnson who saw the controversial 1964 Civil Rights Act through, a victory for the Civil Rights Movement made possible because of the children of Birmingham.

Who started the march?

Initiated and organized by Rev. James Bevel, the purpose of the march was to walk downtown to talk to the mayor about segregation in their city. Many children left their schools and were arrested, set free, and then arrested again the next day.

What did Bull Connor do to the children?

In response to the mass arrests of the children, Commissioner of Public Safety, Bull Connor, finally ordered police to use police dogs, high-pressure fire hoses, batons, and arrest these children if "deemed" necessary. Despite this harsh treatment, children still participated in the marches.

Who started the march for segregation?

Initiated and organized by Rev. James Bevel, the purpose of the march was to walk downtown to talk to the mayor about segregation in their city. Many children left their schools in order to be arrested, set free, and then to get arrested again the next day.

Why did Malcolm X stop the marches?

Malcolm X was opposed to the event because he thought it might expose the children to violence. He said, "Real men don't put their children on the firing line.”.

Why did the children's crusade happen?

James Bevel, the purpose of the march was to walk downtown to talk to the mayor about segregation in their city. Many children left their schools in order to be arrested, set free, and then to get arrested again the next day. The marches were stopped due to the head of police " Bull Connor " who brought fire hoses to ward off the children and set police dogs after the children.#N#Malcolm X was opposed to the event because he thought it might expose the children to violence. He said, "Real men don't put their children on the firing line.”#N#A pivotal civil rights campaign was fought in Birmingham, the most segregated city in the US. Fire hoses and dogs were used to prevent them from meeting the Mayor. The students remained non violent. This is a cause of the 1964 Civil Right Act.

What happened in Birmingham in 1963?

Improvements hardly happened overnight in Birmingham. In September 1963, the Ku Klux Klan bombed the 16th Street Baptist Church, killing four Black girls. Yet, the civil rights movement kept up the momentum, and the following year, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

When did the children gather at 16th Street Baptist Church?

Bevel, undeterred, told the children to gather at 16th Street Baptist Church on May 2, 1963. More than 1,000 students skipped school to participate in the protest. The youth, ranging from ages 7-18, held picket signs and marched in groups of 10 to 50, singing freedom songs. Recommended for you. 6 Times the Olympics Were Boycotted.

Why did James Bevel organize the Birmingham protests?

James Bevel, a member of SCLC, came up with an idea to include school-age children in protests to help desegregate Birmingham. The strategy involved recruiting popular teenagers from Black high schools, such as the quarterbacks and cheerleaders, who could influence their classmates to attend meetings with them at Black churches in Birmingham to learn about the non-violent movement. There was also an economic reason to have children participate since adults risked being fired from their jobs for missing work and protesting.

How old was Janice Kelsey when she attended the Children's Crusade?

Janice Kelsey was 15 when she attended her first meeting for the Children’s Crusade. “I knew what segregation was and separation, but I didn't understand the extent or the level of the inequities in that separation,” recalls Kelsey, a Birmingham native who wrote about her experience in the movement in her 2017 memoir, ...

What did civil rights leaders do in Alabama?

Facing a dwindling movement in Alabama, civil rights leaders recruited Black students to revive the march to end segregation.

Who was the leader of the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights?

The pair partnered with the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights, a local civil rights organization led by Fred Shuttlesworth, a prominent minister and activist.

Did King change his mind about the effectiveness of the Children's Crusade?

King changed his mind as well about the effectiveness of the Children’s Crusade. Although the police were mostly restrained the first day, that did not continue. Law enforcement brought out water hoses and police dogs.

What happened to the children in the protest?

On the first day of the protest, hundreds of children were arrested. By the second day, Commissioner of Public Safety Bull Connor ordered police to spray the children with powerful water hoses, hit them with batons and threaten them with police dogs.

How old were the children when the Birmingham bombings happened?

And thousands of children, some of them as young as seven or eight years old, had kept the momentum of the struggle going in its most pivotal hour.

What was the purpose of the Birmingham protests?

The goal of the plan was to use tactics of non-violent protest to provoke Birmingham civic and business leaders to agree to desegregate. The demonstrations started in April 1963 as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Reverend Ralph Abernathy and local leader Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth led thousands of African American protestors in Birmingham.

What was the Birmingham Children's Crusade?

The Birmingham Children's Crusade of 1963. The pivotal event of the civil rights movement opened the eyes of the nation through the courageous activism of its youngest citizens. The pivotal event of the civil rights movement opened the eyes of the nation through the courageous activism of its youngest citizens.

Why did the children leave the 16th Street Baptist Church?

Thousands of children were trained in the tactics of non-violence, and on May 2, they left the 16th Street Baptist Church in groups, heading throughout the city to protest segregation peacefully.

What was the first phase of the protests?

The first phase of the campaign resulted in many arrests, including King who penned his powerful “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” on April 16. A circuit court judge had issued an injunction against protest, picketing, demonstrating and boycotting, providing the legal grounds for mass arrests.

Where was the Children's Crusade?

Kelsey was one of the thousands of young people who participated in a series of non-violent demonstrations known as the Children’s Crusade in Birmingham, Alabama, during the first week of May 1963. For many African American children in Birmingham, the civil rights movement was already part of their lives.

What was the cause of the 1963 Children's March?

Mighty Times: The Children’s March tells the story of how the young people of Birmingham braved arrest, fire hoses, and police dogs in 1963 and brought segregation to its knees. In the spring of 1963, Birmingham, Alabama, was the “do-or-die” battleground for the Civil Rights Movement. Heavy intimidation by Birmingham authorities left the Movement floundering. Using word-of-mouth under a veil of secrecy, more than 4,000 African American schoolchildren organized to desert classrooms at exactly 11 a.m. on “D-Day,” May 2, 1963, touching off a week of mass demonstrations and rioting that shocked the nation. Police tried to stop them. Yet, the children prevailed.

Who were the participants in the 1963 Birmingham Children's March?

More than 100 eyewitnesses contributed to the storytelling, with appearances by notable participants and organizers James Orange, Gwendolyn Webb, James Bevel, Harry Belafonte, Dick Gregory, ...

Who took part in the Children's March 1963?

-- Fifty years ago Birmingham, Alabama, was the front line in the fight for civil rights and it wasn't going well. James Stewart and Arnetta Streeter-Gary took part in the Children's March in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963. CBS News.

Where did James Stewart and Arnetta Streeter-Gary take part in the Children's March in 1963?

James Stewart and Arnetta Streeter-Gary took part in the Children's March in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963. CBS News

How old was Streeter Gary when she was in the Birmingham march?

Streeter-Gary was there too, aged 16. She recalls the high-pressure water jets held by Birmingham firemen and used against those marching.

Who negotiated a truce with the children?

But when the images of the children being attacked made global headlines, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., city official and President John Kennedy negotiated a truce.

What did progress mean in Birmingham?

Progress meant Birmingham would desegregate its public facilities.

Overview

The Children's Crusade, or Children's March, was a march by over 5,000 school students in Birmingham, Alabama on May 2–3, 1963. Initiated and organized by Rev. James Bevel, the purpose of the march was to walk downtown to talk to the mayor about segregation in their city. Many children left their schools and were arrested, set free, and then arrested again the next day. The marches were stopped by the head of police, Bull Connor, who brought fire hoses to ward off th…

Background

Event

Federal response

Aftermath

See also

Further reading

External links