Ariana M. James

 September 15, 1963 was the day the disaster struck when the church was full that Sunday morning. Four young girls left dead and 22 others left injured.  The bomb consisted of dynamite and a timer, it was placed underneath the front step of the church where underground in the basement twenty- six children were in Sunday School.  Windows were shattered and some of the stained windows were melted (Goldman).  Robert Chambliss was a member of the Klu Klux Klan. He also firebombed the houses of other black families around the time that he bombed the church (Robert).

 Addie Mae Collins, 14  Born April 18, 1949 in Jefferson County, Alabama  Softball player and artist  Her sister Sarah Collins lost her right eye in the explosion but survived(Addie).  Denise McNair, 11  Born November 17, 1951 in Jefferson County, Alabama  Played Baseball, did fund raisers for charity by participating in plays, dance routines and poetry readings (Denise).  Carole Robertson, 14  Born April 24, 1949 in Jefferson County, Alabama  She sung in the choir at the church.  The Carole Robertson Center for Learning in Chicago was a social service agency named in her honor (Carole).  Cynthia Wesley, 14  Born April 30, 1949 in Jefferson County, Alabama  She was adopted by Claude and Gertrude Wesley.  She excelled at math, reading and band (Cynthia).

 The four black girls who died in the bombing of Birmingham’s 16 th Street Church were awarded he Congressional Gold Medal. This medal is the highest in civilian honors, established by an act of Congress.  Firefighters and police searched the area for evidence but since racial tension was so strong, black people urged that justice be served.  The death of the four girls opened many eyes wide and persuaded the country to go against segregation.  Robert Chambliss was found guilty from possession of dynamite and later with murder. He was eventually sentenced to life in prison and died at age 81 (Goldman).

 The most interesting piece of my project was getting to know more about the victims of the tragic. They were such innocent young girls who had a lot to live for and because racism was such a big issue, its sad that bombing a church with children in it was the only way to grab more attention to segregation and race separation.  The research I did helped me understand that during the Civil Rights Movement much more than equality was fought for. They protested for each other and they stayed strong together as a black community.  I decided that organizing my information according to who was involved, the background, and what was the outcome of this time period in history.

 Goldman, Russel. "House Honors Birmingham Church Bombing.  " N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr  "Addie Mae Collins." Find a Grave. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr  "Denise McNair." Find a Grave. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr  Carole Rosamond Robertson." Find a Grave. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr  "Cynthia Dionne Wesley." Find a Grave. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr  "Robert Edward Chambliss." Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr