Because They Marched: The People's Campaign for Voting Rights That Changed America

by Russell Freedman

Overview

A thorough and impassioned account of the Selma to Montgomery march for voting rights from Newbery Medalist Russell Freedman.

1965. Selma, Alabama. The Edmund Pettus Bridge. 

This is the story of Bloody Sunday and the moments leading up to and after this fateful day in the fight for African American voting rights. 

Across the segregated South, African Americans were denied the most fundamental right in a democracy—the right to vote.
Tired of reprisals for attempting to register to vote, Selma's Black community began to protest. A march was planned for people, young and old, to march from Selma to Montgomery for voting rights. But the march quickly became the site of horrific struggle as law officers brutally attacked peaceful demonstrators. When vivid footage and photographs of the violence was broadcast throughout the world, it attracted outrage and spurred demonstrators to complete the march at any cost. 

Newbery Medalist Russell Freedman has written a riveting account of this monumental event in the fight for civil rights. Illustrated with more than forty archival photographs, this is an essential chronicle of events every young person should know. 

ALA Notable Children's Book
California Reading Association, Eureka! Nonfiction Children's Honor Book
ILA Teachers' Choices
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
A Booklist Editors' Choice
A Bank Street Best Book of the Year
A Center for the Study of Multicultural Children's Literature Best Book
NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People
Paterson Prize for Books for Young People Honor Book
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823435685
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	01/30/2016
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	96
Product dimensions:	7.30(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	10 - 17 Years

About the Author

Russell Freedman (1929-2018) transformed non-fiction for children through his insightful narrative, comprehensive research, careful selection of photographs, and deep understanding of his subject matter. He was well known for his riveting biographies and masterful accounts of the history of the United States. One of the most honored writers for children, his many awards include the Newbery Medal, three Newbery Honor Medals, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, the May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award and a National Humanities Medal. Major works include Freedom Walkers; Lincoln: A Photobiography; Because They Marched; The Wright Brothers: How They Invented The Airplane; Vietnam: A History of the War. 

Editorial Reviews

★ "Richly illustrated, this deserves a place alongside other important depictions of this story." —Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
 
★ "Commemorating the upcoming 50th anniversary of the 1965 march for voting rights from Selma to Montgomery, Freedman delivers a thorough account of the context and events leading up to and through this momentous protest....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." —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review   

★ "The many well-chosen black and white photos record significant events, capture dramatic moments, and show individuals who took part in these historic events. With a timeless narrative and a timely epilogue, this handsome volume offers a vivid account of a pivotal moment in American history." —Booklist, Starred Review

From the Publisher

★ 08/18/2014
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. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

★ 12/01/2017
Gr 7 Up—This is the powerful account of the events in 1965, in Selma, AL, that influenced a larger movement to win voting rights for black citizens across the country. With reverence and honesty, Freedman brings to light the pure courage and tenacity needed to overcome the fear wrought by the physical, mental, and social reprisals that resulted from attempts to register to vote and also from decisions to stand up and be heard. A masterful combination of narrative sprinkled with historical quotes provides a succinct tale that packs a powerful punch. Performer Rodney Gardiner draws from his dramatic roots to enliven the text and its varying speakers with a near-flawless mixture of authentic voices. VERDICT An essential purchase for collections designed for upper elementary through adult. Curse words and derogatory racial epithets are heard sparingly in quotes from historical figures.—Lisa Youngblood, Harker Heights Public Library, TX

School Library Journal

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

JANUARY 2017 - AudioFile

★ 2014-08-01
One of the most decorated nonfiction writers in the field brings his style to a well-told story of the struggle for voting rights in the American South. Fifty years ago, as the civil rights movement took hold, the attempts to ensure African-American access to the vote increasingly took center stage. A newly passed Civil Rights Act did not guarantee voting rights, so activists in the South continued to press for them at both the state and federal levels. The barriers to voting—poll taxes, literacy tests, limits on registration—were difficult to overcome. Physical abuse and financial intimidation also kept people from the polls. Activist churches were subject to firebombs and burning. Selma, Alabama, became a flashpoint. As Freedman begins his narrative, student activism had propelled teachers and other middle-class blacks to get involved. The death of an unarmed demonstrator drove organizers to plan a march from Selma to the state's capital, Montgomery—an attempt that resulted in "Bloody Sunday," one of the single most violent moments of the movement, and served to prod action on the Voting Rights Act in Congress. Freedman's meticulous research and elegant prose brings freshness to a story that has been told many times. Familiar figures populate the account, but they are joined by many lesser-known figures as well. Richly illustrated, this deserves a place alongside other important depictions of this story. (timeline, bibliography, photo credits, source notes, index) (Nonfiction. 12-16)

Kirkus Reviews