Selma, Alabama
Carol M. Highsmith · Public domain · source
Name	Selma
Settlement type	City
Nickname	Queen City of the Black Belt
Subdivision type	Country
Subdivision name	United States
Subdivision type1	State
Subdivision name1	Alabama
Subdivision type2	County
Subdivision name2	Dallas
Established title	Founded
Established date	1815
Established title2	Incorporated
Established date2	1820
Government type	Mayor–Council
Leader title	Mayor
Leader name	James Perkins Jr.
Area total sq mi	14.39
Area land sq mi	13.81
Area water sq mi	0.58
Elevation ft	125
Population total	17471
Population as of	2020
Population density sq mi	auto
Timezone	Central (CST)
Utc offset	−6
Timezone DST	CDT
Utc offset DST	−5
Coordinates	32, 24, 26, N...
Postal code type	ZIP Codes
Postal code	36701–36703
Area code	334
Blank name	FIPS code
Blank info	01-69120
Blank1 name	GNIS feature ID
Blank1 info	0163660
Website	www.selma-al.gov

Selma, Alabama. Selma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, Alabama, situated on the banks of the Alabama River. Founded during the era of the Antebellum South, it became a pivotal location in the American Civil Rights Movement during the 1960s, most notably as the starting point for the Selma to Montgomery marches which were instrumental in the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

History

Selma was founded in 1815 by William R. King, who would later become the 13th Vice President of the United States. Incorporated in 1820, the city grew rapidly due to its strategic location on the Alabama River, becoming a major transportation and market hub for the region's cotton-based agricultural economy. During the American Civil War, Selma was a crucial manufacturing center for the Confederate States of America, home to the Selma Naval Ordnance Works and the Selma Arsenal. The city was the site of the Battle of Selma in April 1865, where it was captured and largely burned by Union Army forces under James H. Wilson. In the post-war Reconstruction era, Selma's economy and social structure were reshaped, though it remained a center of the agriculturally rich Black Belt.

Civil Rights Movement

In the mid-20th century, Selma became a focal point for the struggle for African-American voting rights. Despite the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, systematic disenfranchisement through mechanisms like literacy tests and poll taxes persisted in Dallas County, Alabama. In early 1965, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), led by figures like John Lewis and Martin Luther King Jr., organized a series of demonstrations and voter registration drives in Selma. These efforts faced intense and often violent opposition from local law enforcement under Dallas County Sheriff Jim Clark and Alabama State Troopers commanded by Colonel Al Lingo.

Edmund Pettus Bridge and Bloody Sunday

The Edmund Pettus Bridge, a steel arch bridge spanning the Alabama River, became the site of a defining moment in American history on March 7, 1965—an event known as Bloody Sunday. Approximately 600 peaceful marchers, led by John Lewis and Hosea Williams, attempted to walk from Selma to the state capital of Montgomery to protest voting rights abuses. As they crossed the bridge, they were met by a wall of state troopers and county posse members who ordered them to disperse. When the marchers knelt to pray, the officers advanced, attacking them with billy clubs, tear gas, and mounted troopers on horseback. The brutal assault, broadcast on national television by networks like ABC, CBS, and NBC, shocked the nation and galvanized public opinion in favor of federal voting rights legislation.

Selma to Montgomery marches

In response to Bloody Sunday, Martin Luther King Jr. called for clergy and citizens from across the country to join a second march two days later. This march, known as "Turnaround Tuesday," proceeded to the Edmund Pettus Bridge but then turned back, adhering to a federal court injunction, a tactical decision that some found controversial. Following this, Federal District Court Judge Frank Minis Johnson issued an order protecting the marchers' right to protest. The third and successful Selma to Montgomery marches began on March 21, 1965. Protected by hundreds of federalized Alabama

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