![]() Unfortunately the case was closed in 1968. Their names were Thoman Edwin Blanton, Jr., Herman Frank Cash, Robert Edward Chambliss, and Bobby Frank Cherry. Finally the FBI discovered that the bombers were four members of the Ku Klux Klan. A lot had been destroyed with the church. Part of what made the investigation hard was the lack of evidence. Twenty-five FBI agents came to work on the case. At first, the state of Alabama offered a $52,000 reward for the bomber's arrest. The investigation of the crime was done poorly and took a long time. He hoped that if they worked hard enough crimes like the bombing would no longer happen. He encouraged people to keep working towards civil rights. Martin Luther King was also there and spoke at the event. Thousands of people, including more than 800 clergymen of all races, attended. The funerals for the four girls got a lot of attention around the U.S. It took 300 extra state policemen to help Birmingham's police get the city back under control. ![]() They burned buildings that white people owned and protested violently. Many people rushed to the church to help look for bodies in the church's ruins. Beyond the five girls, the explosion injured 19 other people.īlack people in Birmingham reacted quickly to the bombing. Pieces of glass had flown into her eye and blinded her. The fifth girl, Sara Collins, was badly injured. The bomb killed four of the girls: Addie Mae Collins, 14 Carol Denise McNair, 11 Carole Robertson, 14 and Cynthia Wesley, 14. In fact, the explosion was so powerful that a man who was driving by was blown out of his car. Witnesses said the bomb caused the girls to fly through the air "like rag dolls." The blast also tore a seven-foot wide hole in the wall. ![]() Inside, five young girls were getting ready to sing in the church choir. The explosion hit a back room in the church. 15 sticks of dynamite had been hidden under the church steps. The person delivered an ominous message, just saying "Three minutes." Less than one minute later, the bomb went off. ![]() On that day, the 16th Street Baptist Church became the site of another explosion.Īt 10:22 a.m., the teenage Sunday School Secretary got a phone call. Until Sunday, September 15th, 1963, no one was killed in the bombings. It became well known as a place where the activists met. The police in Birmingham did not allow the protests to happen without trouble.Ĭivil rights leaders and community members went to the 16th Street Baptist Church to plan meetings. The people who went to the protests often got arrested. The activists worked to plan protests and events. Many civil rights leaders were trying to help fix the problems in Birmingham. People gave the city the nickname "Bombingham." Twenty-one bombs were set off at African American churches in the city between the years of 19. A lot of people thought of it as the most racist city in America. In the 1950s and 1960s, racial conflicts were a big problem in Birmingham, Alabama. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |