On March 25, 1965, marchers reached the city capitol of Montgomery.  After the long march from Selma, Alabama, Martin Luther King led a wave of civil rights protesters through violent resistance from state and local authorities. They walked for 12 hours a day, and slept on the grass. They walked 54 miles to Montgomery, Alabama. These people walked far to reach the place where they would achieve one of their goals; to put out the word that racial discrimination should come to an end.

 This historic march shows us how strong willed the protesters were to achieve equality. 2,000 people set out on March 21st to reach one goal, to have civil rights for all, no matter race, religion, or class of wealth. At the capitol, 50,000 supporters gathered to hear Martin Luther King and other speakers like Ralph Bunche speak out to the crowd.

“No tide of racism can stop us” King proclaimed.  Less than five months after the historic march, President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

 “How long, not long,” Martin Luther King said in Montgomery, Alabama. These words encouraged people, and made people believe that racial discrimination would soon come to an end. These people put forth an effort that today we are still reading and learning about. This shows us how far people can come to change something that is important to them. As 2,000 people strode down the streets, they were attacked and discriminated against. Soon 2,000 people grew to reach 25,000. Martin Luther King Jr. lead 25,000 people through the street to achieve a goal. A goal that could change the course of history, and change how people think about racial discrimination.

“They told us we wouldn’t get here. And there were those who said that we would get here only over their dead bodies, but all the world today knows that we are here and we are standing before the forces of power in the state of Alabama saying, “We ain’t goin’ let nobody turn us around.”

This statement was important to not only the people there, but people across the United States. Martin Luther king lead these protesters to the city of Montgomery to make a statement. As those words came out of his mouth, Martin Luther king knew that the United States could change. That people can have a change of heart. Less than five months after this historic march, the president had made a grand decision. The Voting Act of 1965 changed how the United States saw racial discrimination.

“We have flown the air like birds and swum the sea like fishes,  but have yet to learn the simple act of walking the Earth like brothers.” (Martin Luther King)