Highlights From The Turbulent 1960s Civil Rights Movement

The Birmingham campaign began in Alabama

African-Americans faced continued hostilities in their battle for equality and several small campaigns had been intimidated into closing before they built up steam. Under the leadership of Martin Luther King Jr. the Birmingham Campaign began in 1963 to focus on non-violent, direct action.

Source: Daily Beast

Birmingham was a heavily segregated city and black citizens were legally and economically disadvantaged. The movement began with a concerted boycott of local businesses to try and pressure business owners into creating equal employment in the city and to put an end to segregation. This didn’t work. The protesters then began to use sit-ins and marches to try and provoke authorities into arresting large numbers of protesters.