Selma Movie Summary and Analysis

The movie Selma was a fairly accurate representation of events that occurred in 1965. It portrayed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as he fought against the government in their constant pursuit to deny the African American of their God-given liberties and American rights. Sadly, well after the Civil Rights Act was passed, discrimination and unreasonable abuse were still being continued in the south.

Blacks were still being denied their right to vote, constantly being discriminated at public places, and being abused by white officers for no apparent reason what so ever, with it all ending with them not being tried and held accountable for all their motives and actions.

Essay Example on Summary Of Selma

Martin Luther King Jr. had decided to go to Selma due to the civil unrest in the town; in hopes of getting the government to enforce the Civil Rights Acts of 1964. Even though the act was passed, it was not being enforced to any extent in the south. Officers would beat and terrorize blacks for anything if not everything at all possible, only because they were white cops and they knew they would be acquitted because of how the system in the south favored whites over blacks. As the story progressed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his companions (members of the SCLC) and townsfolk went to the Selma courthouse, they kneeled down on their knees, with their hands behind their heads asking (nonviolently) for their rights to be enforced. Their rights were denied and they were beat and thrown in jail.

Get quality help now

writer-Charlotte

Verified

Proficient in: Civil Rights Movement

4.7 (348)

“ Amazing as always, gave her a week to finish a big assignment and came through way ahead of time. ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

This was only a small fraction of atrocities committed by the police department.

Dr. King while in jail started to move and plot his next feat of resistance and that was to march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge with a group of people to Montgomery, Alabama, the capital of the state. Due to some accusations of Dr. King being made out to be a womanizer (in the movie) he decided not to attend the first march over the bridge and stood home with his family. Meanwhile, the march was still schedu…