Civil Rights

Birmingham Campaign
What was the Birmingham Campaign?
The Birmingham Campaign was a series of protests against racial segregation in
Birmingham, Alabama that took place in April of 1963.
Background
In the early 1960s, Birmingham, Alabama was a very segregated city. This meant
that black people and white people were kept separated. They had different
schools, different restaurants, different water fountains, and different places they
could live. There were even laws that allowed and enforced segregation called Jim
Crow laws. In most cases, the facilities such as schools for black people were not
as good as those for white people.
Planning a Protest
In order to bring the issue of segregation in Birmingham to the rest of the nation,
several African-American leaders decided to organize a mass protest. These
leaders included Martin Luther King, Jr., Wyatt Tee Walker, and Fred Shuttlesworth.
Project C
The protests were codenamed Project C. The "C" stood for "confrontation." The
protests would be non-violent and included boycotting downtown stores, sit-ins,
and marches. The organizers thought that if enough people protested, the local
government would be forced to "confront" them and this would make national
news gaining them support from the federal government and the rest of the
country.
The protests began on April 3, 1963. Volunteers boycotted downtown stores,
marched through the streets, held sit-ins at all-white lunch counters, and held
kneel-ins in all-white churches.
Going to Jail
The main opponent to the protesters was a Birmingham politician named Bull
Connor. Connor got laws passed that said the protests were illegal. He threatened
to arrest the protesters. On April 12, 1963, knowing they would get arrested, a
number of protesters led my Martin Luther King, Jr. set out on a march. They were
all arrested and sent to jail.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

King remained in Jail until April 20, 1963. While in jail he wrote his famous "Letter
from Birmingham Jail." In this letter he outlined why his strategy for non-violent
protest against racism was so important. He said that the people had a moral
responsibility to break unjust laws. The letter has become an important document
in the history of the American civil rights movement.
Youth Protests
Despite the efforts of the campaign, it wasn't getting the national attention the
planners had hoped. They decided to include school children in the protests. On
May 2, over one thousand African-American children skipped school and joined in
the protests. Soon the Birmingham jails were overflowing with protesters.
The next day, with the jails full, Bull Connor decided to try and disperse the
protesters in order to keep them from downtown Birmingham. He used police
dogs and fire hoses on the children. Pictures of children getting knocked down by
the spray from fire hoses and attacked by dogs made national news. The protests
had grabbed the attention of the country.
An Agreement
The protests continued for several days, but on May 10th an agreement was
reached between the protest organizers and the city of Birmingham. The
segregation in the city would come to an end. There would no longer be separate
restrooms, drinking fountains, and lunch counters. Black people would also be
hired as salespeople and clerks in the stores.
Things Turn Violent
On May 11th, a bomb went off at the Gaston Motel where Martin Luther King, Jr.
was staying. Fortunately he had left earlier. Another bomb blew up the home of
King's younger brother A.D. King. In response to the bombings, the protesters
became violent. They rioted throughout the city, burning buildings and cars and
attacking police officers. Soldiers from the U.S. army were sent in to regain
control.

The bombed
Dr. King was

hotel where
staying

Results
Although there were still many issues with racism, the Birmingham campaign did
break down some barriers with segregation in the city. When the new school year
started up in September of 1963, the schools were integrated as well. Perhaps the
most important result of the campaign was in bringing the issues to a national
level and getting leaders such as President John F. Kennedy involved.