Selma To Montgomery National Historic Trail

In an effort to dramatize the need for voting rights legislation, a peaceful non-violent march from Selma to Montgomery was planned. On March 7, 1965 the march set out from Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma, Alabama. Once the marchers reached the Edmund Pettus Bridge, they were brutally beaten by law enforcement officers. The event was televised all across the nation. Two days later, Dr. King led a second march from Brown Chapel towards Montgomery; this march was peacefully turned around at the point of confrontation. On March 21, 1965 a third march under the protection of the National Guard began at Brown Chapel once again and successfully made its way to the State Capital in Montgomery in five days, after walking 54 miles. This monumental event captured by news media brought the struggle of voting rights of African Americans to the forefront of this nation's conscious. As a result, Congress rushed to enact legislation that would guarantee voting rights for all Americans. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act on August 6, 1965.

1212 Old Montgomery Road
Tuskegee, AL 36087
334-727-6390 - Headquarters

By Plane
Montgomery, Alabama has a commercial Airport. Selma, Alabama has a small airport for private planes.

By Car
To connect with Highway 80 in Montgomery take I-85 west from Atlanta,GA; I-65 north from Mobile or I-65 south from Birmingham, AL.

U.S. Highway 80 runs from the coast in Savannah, GA to Pecos, TX.

By Plane
Commercial buses travel between Selma and Montgomery

Getting Around
An automobile is required to travel along the Trail at the present time.

The summers can be hot and humid with the average high near 95 and lows near 65. The winters are mild with the daily average high in the mid 50's and lows near 32.

Here are some of the activities that are offered at Mount Rainier National Park.

• Auto Touring

Recommended Activities
Visitors are encouraged to drive the Highway 80 corridor from Selma to Montgomery. In Selma visitors may visit the privately owned National Voting Rights Museum, Edmund Pettus Bridge, National Voting Rights Monument and Brown Chapel AME Church and take a Historic Walking Trail. In Montgomery visit the Alabama State Capitol, the Civil Rights Monument and the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church. Contact the Chamber of Commerce in each of these communitites for other sites of interest.
Visitor Contact Stations manned by the National Park Service should be operational by 2005. Stations will be located in Montgomery, Lowndes and Dallas counties along the Highway 80 route.