Bombing of Church in Birmingham

Introduction

The bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church on September 15th, 1963 was motivated by racial discrimination against the church's members. This bombing was performed by members of the Ku Klux Klan in Birmingham, Alabama. This terrible bombing resulted in the deaths of four young African-American girls. The church, which was three stories tall, was a rallying site for civil rights activities all the way through 1963. (Bass, 12) This is also the church where the students marched out of and would eventually be arrested for the 1963 Birmingham campaign's children's Crusade. This event also led to the desegregation of public places throughout the United States.

Bombing of Church in Birmingham

The victims of this terrible tragedy were completely innocent little girls. They hadn't harmed any one in any way at all. They fell victim to one of the most terrible groups in United States history; the Ku Klux Klan. This group better known as the KKK looked to "protect" white Americans from racially impure "intruders". They did so by using violence and intimidation. During the 1960's African American leaders had been trying to gain their people's civil rights. During this time period the KKK was especially vicious because of African-Americans newly found unity and confidence. Life for African Americans was extremely difficult during the 1960's, (Branch, 25) especially in the South. This was because the South was the stomping grounds for the KKK. Birmingham, Alabama was a center point for the Civil Rights Movement. This made the 16th Street Baptist Church an obvious target for the Klan. All of these these horrific circumstances played part in the bombing and killing of four innocent little girls.

Early in the morning on the 15th of September various member of the Ku Klux Klan placed 22 sticks of dynamite with a delayed time release outside of the church's basement. (Cotman, 41) Dynamite is an explosive material made with nitroglycerin and the use of an absorbent, usually diatomaceous earth or even sawdust. The delayed time release made it possible for the Klansmen to place the bomb and evade the explosion making it very safe for the bombers. This explosive was nothing unique. In fact dynamite is one of the most common explosives used throughout the world. Overall, the bombers weren't experts with explosives but their efforts did prove to be effective in accomplishing their goal. (Cotman, 41)

The Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, was bombed on Sunday, September 15, 1963. Four innocent lives were lost that day and many more were injured.  Denise McNair (11 years old), Addie Mae Collins (14 years old), Carole Robertson (14 years old), and Cynthia Wesley (14 years old) were all killed in the explosion. Since World War I, more than 40 bombs had exploded in Birmingham, earning it the name “Bombingham.” In the 60s racism was a serious issue; bombings and murder occurred regularly in the south; but out of all the rallies, a group of Klansmen targeted a church.A large part of the bombings ...