Information
Landmark: Edmund Pettus BridgeCity: Selma
Country: USA Alabama
Continent: North America
Edmund Pettus Bridge, Selma, USA Alabama, North America
Overview
In Selma, Alabama, the Edmund Pettus Bridge stands as a historic landmark and powerful symbol, about a hundred miles southwest of Decatur, where its steel arches rise against the sky.
It’s not actually in Decatur, but the landmark is nationally recognized, a cornerstone of the civil rights movement that embodies the fight for voting rights and social justice in America-its worn stone steps still echo with the chants of marchers.
The bridge, finished in 1940, was named for Edmund Winston Pettus, a former Confederate general and U.
S.
senator whose name still echoes in the iron arches above the river.
It stretches across the Alabama River, first built to carry cars and foot traffic from Selma to the quiet farming towns up north.
On March 7, 1965-later known as “Bloody Sunday”-the bridge drew global attention when state troopers attacked civil rights marchers trying to reach Montgomery, their shouts and the crack of batons echoing across the span.
This event lit the spark that led to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a landmark federal law that banned racial discrimination at the ballot box.
The bridge is a steel through-arch design, its central span rising in a graceful curve, with the approach spans resting on sturdy trusses.
It stretches about 1,921 feet, built mostly from steel and anchored by solid concrete supports.
Built for both cars and foot traffic, it still carries people across every day, its weathered stone arch standing as a reminder of the past.
The bridge stands as a national civil rights landmark, a place where courage and resilience met the long fight for equality, its steel arches still echoing the footsteps of marchers.
Each year, people gather here to remember, especially during the anniversaries of the Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March, when the air hums with footsteps and voices.
The bridge is now a National Historic Landmark, a title that protects it and honors its place in history-like the worn stone arch you can still feel under your hand.
Walking Tours: You can stroll across the bridge, footsteps echoing on the boards, while a guide shares vivid accounts of Bloody Sunday and the history that unfolded there.
Memorials: The site holds weathered markers, bronze plaques, and displays that honor the marchers and place their footsteps within the larger story of the civil rights struggle.
Photography and Reflection: From the bridge, you can take in sweeping views of the Alabama River, its water glinting in the sun, and pause for a quiet moment of remembrance.
Each year, commemorative marches follow the same path walked in 1965, the sound of footsteps echoing down the old route and drawing people from across the country.
The Edmund Pettus Bridge isn’t just a way to cross the Alabama River; it stands as a striking symbol of America’s civil rights struggle, where footsteps once echoed in the push for justice.
It carries the weight of activists’ sacrifices and shows how people, working side by side, can spark change in the fight for justice.
For historians, teachers, and visitors alike, it’s a chance to stand where a turning point in U.
S.
history unfolded, a place that still carries the weight of courage and the spark of social change.
It’s not actually in Decatur, but the landmark is nationally recognized, a cornerstone of the civil rights movement that embodies the fight for voting rights and social justice in America-its worn stone steps still echo with the chants of marchers.
The bridge, finished in 1940, was named for Edmund Winston Pettus, a former Confederate general and U.
S.
senator whose name still echoes in the iron arches above the river.
It stretches across the Alabama River, first built to carry cars and foot traffic from Selma to the quiet farming towns up north.
On March 7, 1965-later known as “Bloody Sunday”-the bridge drew global attention when state troopers attacked civil rights marchers trying to reach Montgomery, their shouts and the crack of batons echoing across the span.
This event lit the spark that led to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a landmark federal law that banned racial discrimination at the ballot box.
The bridge is a steel through-arch design, its central span rising in a graceful curve, with the approach spans resting on sturdy trusses.
It stretches about 1,921 feet, built mostly from steel and anchored by solid concrete supports.
Built for both cars and foot traffic, it still carries people across every day, its weathered stone arch standing as a reminder of the past.
The bridge stands as a national civil rights landmark, a place where courage and resilience met the long fight for equality, its steel arches still echoing the footsteps of marchers.
Each year, people gather here to remember, especially during the anniversaries of the Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March, when the air hums with footsteps and voices.
The bridge is now a National Historic Landmark, a title that protects it and honors its place in history-like the worn stone arch you can still feel under your hand.
Walking Tours: You can stroll across the bridge, footsteps echoing on the boards, while a guide shares vivid accounts of Bloody Sunday and the history that unfolded there.
Memorials: The site holds weathered markers, bronze plaques, and displays that honor the marchers and place their footsteps within the larger story of the civil rights struggle.
Photography and Reflection: From the bridge, you can take in sweeping views of the Alabama River, its water glinting in the sun, and pause for a quiet moment of remembrance.
Each year, commemorative marches follow the same path walked in 1965, the sound of footsteps echoing down the old route and drawing people from across the country.
The Edmund Pettus Bridge isn’t just a way to cross the Alabama River; it stands as a striking symbol of America’s civil rights struggle, where footsteps once echoed in the push for justice.
It carries the weight of activists’ sacrifices and shows how people, working side by side, can spark change in the fight for justice.
For historians, teachers, and visitors alike, it’s a chance to stand where a turning point in U.
S.
history unfolded, a place that still carries the weight of courage and the spark of social change.
