Did you know? A coffin is loaded into a hearse at a funeral for the girls. Original caption: Alabama-Birmingham-bombings-Body being removed at 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. Cross testified that each girl present had been taught to contemplate how Jesus would react to affliction or injustice, and they were asked to learn to consider, "What Would Jesus Do? the 16th street baptist church bombing was an act of white supremacist terrorism which occurred at the african american 16th street baptist church in birmingham, alabama, on sunday,. [80] Moreover, Cobbs testified on November 16 that, on the day before the bombing, Chambliss had told her that he had in his possession enough dynamite to "flatten half of Birmingham". Before his trial, Chambliss remained free upon a $200,000 bond raised by family and supporters and posted October 18. [90], Robert Chambliss died in the Lloyd Noland Hospital and Health Center on October 29, 1985, at the age of 81. Cars parked beside the church were damaged by the blast. [8] It was the location where students were organized and trained by the SCLC Director of Direct Action, James Bevel, to participate in the 1963 Birmingham campaign's Children's Crusade after other marches had taken place. [1][2][3] Four members of a local Ku Klux Klan chapter planted 19 sticks of dynamite attached to a timing device beneath the steps located on the east side of the church.[4]. Even though the legal system was slow to provide justice, the effect of the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church was immediate and significant. 2023 Cable News Network. Mourners embrace at the funeral. Immediately after the blast, church members. [127] In this role, Rowe acted as an agent provocateur between 1961[128] and 1965. As a known and popular rallying point for civil rights activists, the 16th Street Baptist Church was an obvious target. November 15, 1977 - On the second day of the trial, Chamblisss niece, Elizabeth Cobb, testifies that before the bombing, Chambliss confided to her that he had enough stuff put away to flatten half of Birmingham.. The day following the bombing, a young white lawyer named Charles Morgan Jr. addressed a meeting of businessmen, condemning the acquiescence of white people in Birmingham toward the oppression of blacks. The Aftermath. [11] The work these Civil Rights activists were engaged in within Birmingham was crucial to the movement as the Birmingham campaign was seen as guidance for other cities in the South with regards to rising against segregation and racism. Outrage over the death of the four young girls helped build increased support behind the continuing struggle to end segregationsupport that would help lead to the passage of both the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The bombings targeted African-American leaders of the Birmingham campaign. Three Ku Klux Klan members were later convicted of murder. It was part of a coordinated effort between local, state and federal governments to review cold cases of the civil rights era in the hopes of prosecuting perpetrators. It is a sound that I will never forget, that will forever reverberate in my ears. Johnson warned the jurors they would have to distinguish between evidence and proof. All Rights Reserved. "[102], In addition to calling attention to flaws in the prosecution's case, the defense exposed inconsistencies in the memories of some prosecution witnesses who had testified. "[122] Johnson reiterated that there was no hard evidence linking Cherry to the bombing, but only evidence attesting to his racist beliefs dating from that era, adding that the family members who had testified against him were all estranged and therefore should be considered unreliable witnesses. [30] Another victim was killed by a piece of mortar embedded in her skull. [32] All four girls were pronounced dead on arrival at the Hillman Emergency Clinic. That bomb took the lives of four young girls, including my friend and playmate [Carol] Denise McNair. May 1, 2001 - Blanton is found guilty of first-degree murder and is sentenced to four life terms. [14] These attacks earned the city the nickname "Bombingham". 1965 - Suspects emerge: Bobby Frank Cherry, Thomas Blanton, Robert Chambliss and Herman Frank Cash, all Ku Klux Klan members. Baxley acknowledged that typical juries in 1960s Alabama would have likely leaned in favor of both defendants, even if these recordings had been presented as evidence,[126] but said that he could have prosecuted Thomas Blanton and Bobby Cherry in 1977 if he had been granted access to these tapes. On the afternoon of May 22, after the jury had deliberated for almost seven hours, the forewoman announced they had reached their verdicts: Bobby Frank Cherry was convicted of four counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Birmingham Public Library. In the weeks following the September 4 integration of public schools, three additional bombs were detonated in Birmingham. Herman Frank Cash died of cancer in February 1994. Following the closing arguments, the jury retired to begin their deliberations, which lasted for over six hours and continued into the following day. Abouyaaqoub fled the attack on foot, then killed another person in order to steal the victim's car . (A 1980 Justice Department report concluded that J. Edgar Hoover had blocked the prosecution of the four bombing suspects in 1965,[7] and he officially closed the FBI's investigation in 1968. The 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama took place on Sept. 15, 1963 when four members of the Ku Klux Klan planted at least 15 sticks of dynamite with a timer under the front . A section of wire and remnants of red plastic were discovered there, which could have been part of a timing device. He became a paid FBI informant in 1961. September 15, 1963 - Four girls are killed and 14 injured in a bomb blast at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama.- Riots break out, and two African-American boys, Virgil Ware, 13, and Johnny Robinson, 16, are also killed. One of the defense witnesses was a retired chef named Eddie Mauldin, who was called to testify to discredit prosecution witnesses' statements that they had seen Blanton in the vicinity of the church before the bombing. An estimated 8,000 people attended the service. In response, local African-Americans burned businesses and fought police throughout the downtown area. Family and friends of Carole Robertson attend graveside services for her in Birmingham on September 17, 1963. [115][116], Blanton died in prison from unspecified causes on June 26, 2020.[117]. "[43], Two more black youths, Johnny Robinson and Virgil Ware, were shot to death in Birmingham within seven hours of the Sunday morning bombing. Following these closing arguments, the jury retired to consider their verdicts. Updated Don Cochran disputed this position, arguing that Alabama law provides for "conspiracies to conceal evidence" to be proven by both inference and circumstantial evidence. Bobby Frank Cherry was tried in Birmingham, Alabama, before Judge James Garrett, on May 6, 2002. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. Maxine McNair, the last living parent of any of the four Black girls killed in a 1963 Alabama church bombing, died Sunday. On April 10, 2001, Judge James Garrett indefinitely postponed Cherry's trial, pending further medical analysis. 1963 Birmingham church bombing From left, 11-year-old Denise McNair and 14-year-olds Carole Robertson, Addie Mae Collins and Cynthia Wesley were killed while attending Sunday services.. In response to the church bombing, described by the Mayor of Birmingham, Albert Boutwell, as "just sickening", the Attorney General dispatched 25 FBI agents, including explosives experts, to Birmingham to conduct a thorough forensic investigation. At times as hard as crucible steel, but, today, you do not walk alone. His famous Letter from a Birmingham Jail was published in the national press, along with shocking images of police brutality against protesters in Birmingham that helped build widespread support for the civil rights cause. Four young black girls-Addie Mae Collins, Carol Denise McNair, and Cynthia Diane Wesley, and Carole Robe NBC Universal, Inc. Four girls were killed when a bomb exploded at an Alabama church in 1963. [109] When asked by the judge whether he had anything to say before sentence was imposed, Blanton said: "I guess the Lord will settle it on Judgment Day. In his opening statement to the jurors, defense attorney John Robbins acknowledged his client's affiliation with the Ku Klux Klan and his views on racial segregation. The intention was to fill the jail with protesters. [29] The explosion was so intense that one of the girls' bodies was decapitated and so badly mutilated that her body could be identified only through her clothing and a ring. 1963 Birmingham church bombing From left, 11-year-old Denise McNair and 14-year-olds Carole Robertson, Addie Mae Collins and Cynthia Wesley were killed while attending Sunday services.. Birmingham, Alabama CNN Fifty years have passed since a bomb stopped the old sanctuary clock in Birmingham's 16th Street Baptist Church, locking in a moment that would change a nation.. Ku Klux Klan (alleged) The Birmingham riot of 1963 was a civil disorder and riot in Birmingham, Alabama, that was provoked by bombings on the night of May 11, 1963. The current state death penalty law applied only to crimes committed after its passage. Although the FBI had concluded in 1965 that the 16th Street . Less than one minute later, the bomb exploded. Following the bombing, the 16th Street Baptist Church remained closed for over eight months, as assessments and, later, repairs were conducted upon the property. November 18, 1977 - Chambliss is convicted of first-degree murder in connection with the bombing and sentenced to life imprisonment. On September 18, the funeral of the three other girls killed in the bombing was held at the Sixth Avenue Baptist Church. It is located at Kelly Ingram Park, on the corner of Sixteenth Street North and Sixth Avenue North. Prosecutors at Chambliss's 1977 trial had initially intended to call Rowe as a witness; however, DA William Baxley had chosen not to call Rowe as a witness after being informed of the results of these polygraph tests. The act of terror by four members of the KKK at the historic Black church killed four little girls: 14-year-olds Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley and 11-year-old Denise McNair. Discovery Company. Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr. was brought to trial in Birmingham, Alabama, before Judge James Garrett on April 24, 2001. Stressing that Blanton should not be judged for his beliefs, Robbins again vehemently criticized the validity and poor quality of the audio recordings presented, and the selectivity of the sections which had been introduced into evidence. In a speech conducted before the burials of the girls, King addressed an estimated 3,300[54] mournersincluding numerous white peoplewith a speech saying: This tragic day may cause the white side to come to terms with its conscience. In attendance were 1,600 people. [26], The explosion blew a hole measuring seven feet (2.1m) in diameter in the church's rear wall, and a crater five feet (1.5m) wide and two feet (0.61m) deep in the ladies' basement lounge, destroying the rear steps to the church and blowing a passing motorist out of his car. On the afternoon of 17 August 2017, 22-year-old Younes Abouyaaqoub drove a van into pedestrians on La Rambla in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain killing 13 people and injuring at least 130 others, one of whom died 10 days later on 27 August. Cook testified that Chambliss had acknowledged his guilt regarding his 1963 arrest for possession of dynamite, but that he (Chambliss) was insistent he had given the dynamite to Rowe before the bombing. Birmingham became the center of the civil rights movement in spring 1963, when Martin Luther King Jr. and his supporters in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference arrived with a plan they called Project Cfor confrontation. [46]:386 On September 29, he was indicted upon charges of illegally purchasing and transporting dynamite on September 4, 1963. Brogdon also testified that Cherry had told her of his regret that children had died in the bombing, before adding his satisfaction that they would never reproduce. These deliberations continued until the following day. Show all. Although the FBI had concluded in 1965 that the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing had been committed by four known Klansmen and segregationists: Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr., Herman Frank Cash, Robert Edward Chambliss, and Bobby Frank Cherry,[6] no prosecutions were conducted until 1977, when Robert Chambliss was tried and convicted of the first-degree murder of one of the victims, 11-year-old Carol Denise McNair. "[9] Birmingham's Commissioner of Public Safety, Theophilus Eugene "Bull" Connor,[10] led the effort in enforcing racial segregation in the city through the use of violent tactics. Kay Ivey. Several dozen people were present at the unveiling, presided over by state Senator. Today marks the 50th anniversary of the white supremacist bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama that killed four young girls. Though Birminghams white supremacists (and even certain individuals) were immediately suspected in the bombing, repeated calls for the perpetrators to be brought to justice went unanswered for more than a decade. [58] By the time of the announcement, Herman Cash had also died; however, Thomas Blanton and Bobby Cherry were still alive. The Cahaba Boys had formed earlier in 1963, as they felt that the KKK was becoming restrained and impotent in response to concessions granted to black people to end racial segregation. [55][56], As the girls' coffins were taken to their graves, King directed that those present remain solemn and forbade any singing, shouting or demonstrations. The bombing, perpetrated by a white supremacist, became a defining moment of the Civil Rights Movement and sparked the outrage that led to the . appreciated. distributed by home box office studio productions, 102a east 23rd street, new york, ny 10010, phone (212) It was declared a national historic landmark in 2006. 1994 - Cash dies without being charged in the bombing. Although never formally named as one of the conspirators by the FBI, Rowe's record of deception on the polygraph tests leaves open the possibility that Chambliss's claims may have held a degree of truth. [65]), Although both Blanton and Cherry denied their involvement in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, until his death in 1985, Robert Chambliss repeatedly insisted that the bombing had been committed by Gary Thomas Rowe Jr. Rowe had been encouraged to join the Klan by acquaintances in 1960. 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, terrorist attack in Birmingham, Alabama, on September 15, 1963, on the predominantly African American 16th Street Baptist Church by local members of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). It was later revealed that the FBI had information concerning the identity of the bombers by 1965 and did nothing. "[32], The prosecution called a total of seven witnesses to testify in their case against Blanton, including relatives of the victims, John Cross, the former pastor of the 16th Street Baptist Church; an FBI agent named William Fleming, and Mitchell Burns, a former Klansman who had become a paid FBI informant. I did not see it happen, but I heard it happen and I felt it happen, just a few blocks away at my father's church. 9:01 AM EDT, Wed September 7, 2022, A grieving relative is led away from the site of the. At least 14 others are injured in the explosion, including Sarah Collins, the 12-year-old sister of victim Addie Mae Collins, who loses an eye. Cars parked beside the church were damaged by the blast. [47], The city of Birmingham initially offered a $52,000 reward for the arrest of the bombers. The call was answered by the acting Sunday School secretary, a 14-year-old girl named Carolyn Maull. Spanning from the Pyrenees to the Mediterranean, Spain is a lan. [124], Following the convictions of Blanton and Cherry, Alabama's former Attorney General, William Baxley, expressed his frustration that he had never been informed of the existence of the FBI audio recordings before they were introduced in the 2001 and 2002 trials. Following the assassination of John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, newly-inaugurated President Lyndon Johnson continued to press for passage of the civil rights bill sought by his predecessor. A coffin is loaded into a hearse at a funeral for the girls. Three Ku Klux Klan members were later convicted of murder. [81], In his closing argument before the jury on November 17,[82] Baxley acknowledged that Chambliss was not the sole perpetrator of the bombing. She is the daughter of the Reverend John Cross and was aged 13 in 1963. Hanes noted conflicting testimony among several of the 12 witnesses called by the defense to testify as to Chambliss's whereabouts on the day of the bombing. Officially, the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing remained unsolved until after William Baxley was elected Attorney General of Alabama in January 1971. birmingham church bombing victims autopsy. An estimated 2,000 black people converged on the scene in the hours following the explosion. "[66], Bobby Frank Cherry died of cancer on November 18, 2004, at age 74, while incarcerated at the Kilby Correctional Facility. [31] The pastor of the church, the Reverend John Cross, recollected in 2001 that the girls' bodies were found "stacked on top of each other, clung together". Robinson, aged 16, was shot in the back by a policeman as he fled down an alley,[41] after ignoring police orders to halt. The bombing was controversial because Dresden was neither important to German wartime production nor a major read more, The 1960s started off as the dawn of a golden age to most Americans. He had repeatedly proclaimed his innocence, insisting Gary Thomas Rowe Jr. was the actual perpetrator. Following Cook's testimony, Baxley introduced police sergeant Ernie Cantrell. [20], One of the key witnesses to testify on behalf of the prosecution was the Reverend Elizabeth Cobbs, Chambliss's niece. [98] It concluded that vascular dementia had impaired his mind, therefore making Cherry mentally incompetent to stand trial or assist in his own defense.[99]. [73]:497 This testimony of witnesses and evidence was used to formally construct a case against Robert Chambliss. birmingham church bombing victims autopsy. In a 1987 interview focusing upon his recollections of the bombing, Petts recollected: "Naturally, as a father, I was horrified by the deaths of those children." The bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church on September 15 was the third bombing in 11 days, after a federal court order had come down mandating the integration of Alabamas school system. She was distressed about a remark made by Martin Luther King, who had said that the mindset that enabled the murder of the four girls was the "apathy and complacency" of black people in Alabama. Melanie Peeples reports. )[16], These demonstrations and the concessions from city leaders to the majority of demonstrators' demands were met with fierce resistance by other whites in Birmingham. Although tumultuous at times, the movement was mostly nonviolent and resulted in laws to read more, In a special election on December 12, 2017, Alabama chose Democrat Doug Jones over Republican and alleged sexual predator Roy Moore. [71] Baxley formally reopened the case in 1971. On May 15,[121] Cross testified that prior to the explosion, she and the four girls killed had each attended a Youth Day Sunday School lesson in which the theme taught was how to react to a physical injustice. 1976 - Alabama Attorney General Bill Baxley reopens the case. The Birmingham church bombing occurred on September 15, 1963, when a bomb exploded before Sunday morning services at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabamaa church with a predominantly Black congregation that also served as a meeting place for civil rights leaders. May 16, 2000 - A grand jury in Alabama indicts former Klansmen Cherry and Blanton with eight counts each of first-degree murder - four counts of intentional murder and four of murder with universal malice. On November 18, 1977,[85] they found Robert Chambliss guilty of the murder of Carol Denise McNair. July 1997 - The case is reopened by the FBI, citing new evidence. The Birmingham City Council convened an emergency meeting to propose safety measures for the city, although proposals for a curfew were rejected. In his closing argument, prosecuting attorney and future U.S. (The physical description by witnesses of this person varied, and could have matched either Bobby Cherry or Robert Chambliss. Oval photographs and brief biographies of the four girls killed in the explosion, the most seriously injured survivor (Sarah Collins), and the two teenage boys who were shot to death later that day also adorn the base of the sculpture. [83] He expressed regret that the state was unable to request the death penalty in this case, as the death penalty in effect in the state in 1963 had been repealed. Many of the civil rights protest marches that took place in Birmingham during the 1960s began at the steps of the 16th Street Baptist Church, which had long been a significant religious center for the citys Black population and a routine meeting place for civil rights organizers like King. [75] But at a pre-trial hearing on October 18,[76] Judge Wallace Gibson ruled that the defendant would be tried upon one count of murderthat of Carol Denise McNair[76]and that the remaining three counts of murder would remain, but that he would not be charged in relation to these three deaths. "[51] Carole Robertson was buried in a blue casket at Shadow Lawn Cemetery.[52]. On 21 November 1974, two bombs ripped through the Mulberry Bush and Tavern in the Town pubs in Birmingham, killing 21 and injuring 220. The day of the bombing, the church was full of its members as well as children who were attending Sunday school. He said this past was not the evidence upon which they should return their verdicts. Although sections of the recordingpresented in evidence on April 27are unintelligible, Blanton can twice be heard mentioning the phrase "plan a bomb" or "plan the bomb". Governor Wallace offered an additional $5,000 on behalf of the state of Alabama. Martin Luther King Jr. described Birmingham as "probably the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States. Although reports of the bombing and the loss of four children's lives were glorified by white supremacists, who in many instances chose to celebrate the loss as "four less niggers",[41] as news of the church bombing and the fact that four young girls had been killed in the explosion reached the national and international press, many felt that they had not taken the civil rights struggle seriously enough. At the base of the sculpture is an inscription of the title of the sermon the four girls were to attend before the bombing"A Love That Forgives". An estimated 8,000 people attended the service. President Barack Obama would go on to sign a bill awarding the four young victims of the tragic 1963 Birmingham church bombing with the Congressional Gold Medal.. Barbara Cross, a friend of the girls who survived the church bombing, recently recalled to TIME how close she was to possibly being a fifth death. [44] When he spotted Ware and his brother, Sims fired twice, reportedly with his eyes closed. Sarah Jean Collins, 12, lost an eye in the blast. But, he warned the jury: "Just because you don't like him, that doesn't make him responsible for the bombing. ), One individual who went to the scene to help search for survivors, Charles Vann, later recollected that he had observed a solitary white man whom he recognized as Robert Edward Chambliss (a known member of the Ku Klux Klan) standing alone and motionless at a barricade. "[110], Blanton was sentenced to life imprisonment. Although this donation was accepted,[48]:274 Martin Luther King Jr. is known to have sent Wallace a telegram saying, "the blood of four little children is on your hands. [100] In January 2002, Judge Garrett ruled Cherry mentally competent to stand trial and set an initial trial date for April 29. Barbara Ann Cross also testified for the prosecution. Both the church and the bereaved families received an estimated $23,000 in cash donations from members of the public. Blanton's attorneys criticized the validity and quality of the 16 tape recordings introduced as evidence,[103] arguing that the prosecution had edited and spliced the sections of the audio recording that were secretly obtained within Blanton's kitchen, reducing the entirety of the tape by 26 minutes. 2. [114], His first parole hearing was held on August 3, 2016. As late as the 1960s, however, it was also one of Americas most racially discriminatory and segregated cities. The Birmingham campaign, the March on Washington in August, the September bombing of the 16th Street Baptist church, and the November assassination of John F. Kennedyan ardent supporter of the civil rights cause who had proposed a Civil Rights Act of 1963 on national television[69]increased worldwide awareness of and sympathy toward the civil rights cause in the United States. 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