Only 54 miles separate Selma and Montgomery, but that span changed history. A five-day protest march to Montgomery in March 1965 riveted the nation, and attracted protesters from across the globe.Follow the Selma-to-Montgomery civil rights trail.
When the marchers finally finished at the Alabama State Capitol, thousands gathered to hear Martin Luther King Jr. declare victory in his “How Long? Not Long” speech. The world was put on notice that the push for voting rights could not be ignored. And within a few months the U.S. Voting Rights Act was signed into law.
The marchers’ route is now preserved as the Selma-to-Montgomery National Historic Trail, complete with markers, visitors centers and memorials. With little development save historic markers, it’s a struggle to imagine the mixture of triumph and fear marchers would have felt staying here. But this guide will make the story come alive.
It focuses on the trail itself and the sites between Selma and Montgomery, which mostly follows U.S. Highway 80. You can drive the route in just over an hour without stops, but to make the most of your visit, plan on two to three hours for the trip.
