(drums) - [Narrator] Before the Voting Rights Act of 1965, many states passed laws that made it almost impossible for African-Americans to vote.

Many people did not think this was fair.

In 1960s America, one out of every 10 people was African-American.

In Alabama, the number was one in every three people.

This meant that almost 1 million Alabamians were not allowed to vote.

(upbeat music) Some teenagers joined together to help change this.

They would have to walk across this bridge in Selma, Alabama to make voting fairer for everyone.

How did teenagers fight for fair voting rights?

Voting rights organizers rallied the citizens of Selma, including teenagers to join in the fight for the right to vote.

Longtime voting rights advocate, Amelia Boynton was a leader in the movement and also the first African-American woman to run for Congress from Alabama.

The white community in Selma controlled everything which limited how African-Americans could live their lives.

They made life difficult for those demonstrating for voting rights.

If someone protested about unfair voting laws, they might lose their job because they worked for a white boss.

Young people saw how this caused their parents to suffer and volunteered to join the protest.

(uplifting music) Young people join the movement.

Each morning they would meet at either Brown Chapel Church or First Baptist Church where they learned about non-violent protest from civil rights leaders, including Martin Luther King, Jr who was invited to Selma by local organizers to speak at one of the meetings.

This gave them a sense of purpose and inspired them to make their voices heard.

Students inspired their teachers to join them.

105 teachers organized and marched to the Dallas County Courthouse to register to vote.

They were met by Sheriff Jim Clark, who was upset with them because he did not believe in fair voting.

Although the teachers use non-violence in asking to register to vote, Sheriff Clark responded with violence and denied them the right to register.

This only further inspired the students to continue with their protest Students who protested were put in jail.

After they were arrested, they were driven to jail on school buses.

Although scared they sang protest songs in jail and supported each other.

The protest continued until a young man named Jimmie Lee Jackson was killed by the police.

It was a dangerous time to protest.

John Lewis led the first march.

Students, teachers, and ordinary citizens decided that violence would not stop them.

They would join a march from Selma to the state capitol in Montgomery, Alabama, and demand the right to vote.

John Lewis, an Alabamian and leader in the College Student Movement for Fairer Voting Rights would lead the march.

The march from Selma to Montgomery would cross over the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

The people that did not want them to vote decided to stop the march at the bridge.

They wore helmets and gas masks to protect themselves while the marchers wore only raincoats to keep off the rain.

Sheyann Webb was only eight years old, but she wanted to join the march and cross the bridge.

Her teacher, Ms. Margaret Moore joined her and held her hand as they marched and tried to cross the bridge.

Sheyann was scared as a line of police was waiting for them.

Violence erupted and the police beat the marchers.

She let go of Ms. Moore's hand and ran home to her parents.

The marchers would not cross the bridge that day, a day that would become known as Bloody Sunday.

Martin Luther King Jr. led the second march.

That night, pictures of the violence at the march were broadcast on TV all over America.

Two days after Bloody Sunday, Martin Luther King Jr. returned to Selma to again, join the protest and lead a second march across the bridge.

They stopped before they could cross the bridge, but this time there was no violence.

This day became known as Turnaround Tuesday.

Although they had still not crossed the bridge, the world was now watching.

The teenagers were showing how dedicated they were to protesting for fair voting rights.

The President supported the third march.

The President of the United States, Lyndon B Johnson, decided to protect the protesters, to allow them to make the march.

(upbeat music) Four days later, civil rights leaders, teenagers, teachers, and ordinary citizens finally crossed the bridge.

People from all over the country joined the march and by the time they reached Montgomery, the number of marchers had grown to 25,000.

(uplifting music) The courage of the people to stand up for fair voting rights and cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge in spite of the violence helped President Johnson sign the 1965 Voting Rights Act into law.

This law prohibits racial discrimination in voting.

The next time your parents cast their ballots on election day, you can thank the teenagers and people of Selma, Alabama, who crossed this bridge in 1965 for helping to make voting fairer for all people.

The work to ensure that all people are given the opportunity to vote continues to this day.

(cheerful music)