Delayed Justice?
The Bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church

                                                       

                                                Before the Bombing                                                                                          After the Bombing
 


INTRODUCTION:  The September 15, 1963 racially motivated bombing of Birmingham's Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, which resulted in the death of four innocent black girls, was the nadir of the Civil Rights movement in Birmingham and perhaps one of the darkest days in Birmingham's history. City authorities, never sympathetic to blacks, did very little to bring the bombers to justice. Not until 1977 was one of the bombers convicted. Locally, the bombing brought the factional Civil Rights leaders together. Nationally, the bombing gave the movement not just a face, but four faces, four young, innocent faces.

TASK:  In groups of four, you will design a presentation that will serve as a memorial to the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama in September of 1963.  Each person in your group will choose a role to play during the activity.  The roles are:
     Artist - This person will be responsible for the layout of
                    the PowerPoint Presentation.  Pictures must be used
                    to enhance the presentation.
      Reporter - This person will be responsible for
                    delivery of the presentation.
     Historian - This person will be responsible for leading the
                    other group members in the search
                    for the information.
     Lawyer - This person will be responsible for leading the
                    group in the search for information pertaining to
                    legal matters.  It will be necessary to find
                    information about arrests and convictions of the
                    1970's, as well as those of recent years.

RESOURCES:  During this activity, you may use the following websites for information and pictures.

    Bombing of the Sixteenth Baptist Church is a page with many resources.  You may visit this page to find information on
            the bombing as well as news and information of recent arrests.  Be sure to visit all of the links within this page.

        16th Street Baptist Church Bombing is a page that discuss the significance of the church for the Civil Rights Movement.
            This page also has articles from newspapers from the 1960's, as well as news of recent legal actions.  You may also
            find information and pictures of each of the little girls killed in the blast.

        Visit this page to view a Tribute to the children killed in the bombing.  This page has many pictures of the church
            building before and after the bombing.

        The  We Shall Overcome site provides information on many the events of the Civil Rights Movement.

        This  article from The Black World Today discusses the arrest of two men thought to be connected to the bombing.
            The arrests came nearly 40 years after the attack.  In addition, another article discusses the current
            investigation and arrests in detail.

         Four Schoolgirls Killed in the Bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church  is an article about the bombing.

        More articles:  Alabama Moments in American History ,  Washington Post , South Bend Tribune

         The 1963 Church Bombing page discusses the Spike Lee movie about the bombing.  This site has a lot
            of information about the event.

         The Day the Children Died is a People Magazine article about the bombing.  There is also a discussion of the mystery
            surrounding the disappearance of the body of Addie Mae Collins.

        Visit this site to hear eyewitness accounts of the bombing.


PROCESS:
       1.  Complete Internet search to gather information about the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church.
            2.  Using the information you gather, create a PowerPoint presentation that will serve as a memorial to the victims of the bombing.  The presentation must have the following information:
                            - a summary of information about the event
                            - pictures of the children killed in the blast
                            - a discussion of the legal actions taken
                            - a discussion of current legal actions
                            - a discussion of whether or not your group
                              believes that justice was served in the case
            3.  Present your work to the whole class.

EVALUATION:
 
Task
Beginning (1 point)
Developing (2 points)
Accomplished (3points)
Exemplary (4 points)
Presentation The presentation had few pictures or graphics and little detail. The presentation had at least four pictures or graphics and some detail. The presentation had at least 5-7 graphics and had great detail. The presentation had more than seven pictures or graphics and was very detailed.  The presentation was well delivered.
Delivery The presentation was somewhat interesting and engaging The presentation was interesting and engaged most of the audience The presentation was interesting and engaged all of the audience. The presentation was interesting and involved all the audience.  The audience participated in the presentation.
History The information presented was somewhat accurate but few details were presented. The information presented was accurate and included some detail. The information presented was accurate and included many details. The information presented was accurate and included many details.  Personal reflections of the information is presented/discussed.


CONCLUSION:  In this activity, you have learned how to synthesize information from Internet resources to present/create a PowerPoint presentation that memorializes the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church.  It is hoped that you have gained an appreciation of the many sacrafices made and lives lost during the Civil Rights Movement.