The 1960s was a very turbulent decade as the civil and voting rights movements provoked numerous marches and demonstrations causing citizens to have numerous clashes with local law enforcement. One historical event was the Bloody Sunday incident on March 7, 1965 that involved peaceful minority marchers with police and was televised across the nation. The marchers were attempting to walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama when they were met by police, and it eventually turned into a riotous situation with police using excessive force to stop the marchers.
Assignment Guidelines
- Address the following in 3-5 pages:
- Discuss the key points of the Bloody Sunday incident.
- When and where did it occur?
- What happened during the incident, and why did it happen? Explain.
- What impacts did this event have on the relationship between the police and the community that they are sworn to protect? Explain in detail.
- How have events similar to Bloody Sunday affected modern police relationships? Explain.
- By today's standards, what lessons learned have allowed police to be better equipped to handle situations that do not allow or call for use of force? Explain.