What term is used to describe the 1965 non-violent march in Selma?

• A. Freedom Sunday
• B. March for Justice
• C. Equal Rights Day
• D. Bloody Sunday

Answer: (D)

The term comes from the violent treatment of peaceful protesters on a day when a non-violent march for voting rights encountered brutal opposition. On March 7, 1965, in Selma, Alabama, marchers trying to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge were attacked by state troopers and local police. The images of baton blows, tear gas, and mounted riders were broadcast nationwide, making that day synonymous with the brutality faced by protesters and the resolve of the movement to demand equal rights. Because of the televised violence against non-violent demonstrators, historians and the public refer to that day as Bloody Sunday. The other phrases don’t capture the specific event and its lasting impact in the way this label does.