Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail

The Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail was established by Congress in 1996 to commemorate the events, people, and route of the 1965 Voting Rights March in Alabama. The march route is a component of the National Trail System, and is administered by the National Park Service. The route is also designated as a National Scenic Byway/All-American Road, awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) is a key partner in interpreting and protecting this historic route, with all project funding provided through the Scenic Byways Program.

The 54-mile trail follows the historic march by beginning at the Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma and crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge. As they crossed the bridge, the nonviolent marchers were stopped and beaten by law enforcement officers in what came to be known as “Bloody Sunday” on March 7, 1965. Outraged protesters from around the country joined the marchers for a subsequent five-day march that began in Selma on March 21, 1965, this time with state and federal law enforcement protection.

The marchers traveled along U.S. Highway 80 in Dallas County, continued through Lowndes County and Montgomery County, and ended at the Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) organized the logistics for the march, including providing food, water, sanitation, and other services for the marchers who camped out along the way. 25,000 marchers concluded the historic march in Montgomery on March 25, with many notable speakers addressing the crowd at a concluding rally near the capitol building; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave one of his most famous speeches at the rally. The Voting Rights Act was signed on August 6, 1965.