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Title details for Because They Marched by Russell Freedman - Available

Because They Marched

The People's Campaign for Voting Rights That Changed America

by Russell Freedman
Rodney Gardiner
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
In the early 1960s, tired of reprisals for attempting to register to vote, Selma's black community began to protest. The struggle received nationwide attention when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led a voting rights march in January, 1965, and was attacked by a segregationist. In February, the shooting of an unarmed demonstrator by an Alabama state trooper inspired a march from Selma to the state capital of Montgomery. The march got off to a horrific start on March 7 as law officers attacked peaceful demonstrators. Broadcast throughout the world, the violence attracted widespread outrage and spurred demonstrators to complete the march at any cost. On March 25, after several setbacks, protesters completed the fifty-four-mile march to a cheering crowd of 25,000 supporters.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    January 17, 2017

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781666585834
      • File size: 51114 KB
      • Duration: 01:46:29

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • Lexile® Measure: 1160
    • Text Difficulty: 8-9

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      In the mid-1960s, the black community in Selma, Alabama, began protesting as the difficulty in registering to vote worsened. Narrator Rodney Gardiner recounts the story of the protest marches, beginning with the teachers' march in January 1965. Martin Luther King, Jr., helped galvanize the movement, energizing the young people. Gardiner's resonant voice captures the mood as they faced intimidation and beatings. After the death of a demonstrator, the community marched from Selma to Montgomery despite threats from officials. Caught on camera, the violence the protesters faced helped the movement gain national attention. From the hope and faith of the protesters to the brutal treatment they received, Gardiner's even tone and compassionate style add to the story of those who marched. A.G.M. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from August 18, 2014
      Commemorating the upcoming 50th anniversary of the 1965 march for voting rights from Selma to Montgomery, Freedman (The Boston Tea Party) delivers a thorough account of the context and events leading up to and through this momentous protest. The book’s eight chapters pull readers into the decades-long struggle via clear, concise storytelling and myriad quotes from participants, many of them young at the time. “Algebra gave way to activism,” writes Freedman. “This explosion of teenage activism alarmed some parents and took the white authorities by surprise.” The momentum-building narrative and often-graphic b&w photos captivate as they recount demonstrations big and small: from sit-ins and “wade-ins” (for desegregated beaches) to the well-known Selma schoolteachers’ march and “Bloody Sunday” at the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Freedman details day-by-day the culminating several-thousand-strong march to Montgomery, which spurred the passage of the Voting Rights Act. Current threats to the act are described in an epilogue. A timeline, select bibliography, source notes, and index round out this well-researched story that honors the many who stood up and fought against inequities at the ballot box. Ages 10–up.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:1160
  • Text Difficulty:8-9

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