Question

question 7 of 10

the sclcs push to register black voters in selma, alabama, prompted:

a. the bombings in birmingham, alabama.
b. violent attacks by white officials against civil rights workers.
c. the attack on the edmund pettus bridge.
d. the murder of two white activists and one black activist.

Explanation:

Analyze the historical context of the Selma Campaign

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., focused its voting rights campaign on Selma, Alabama, in early 1965. Selma was chosen because of its notoriously low rate of registered Black voters due to systematic disenfranchisement and the hostile resistance of local authorities, particularly Sheriff Jim Clark.

Evaluate the immediate outcomes of the registration push

The SCLC's voter registration efforts and subsequent marches directly provoked violent resistance from local and state authorities. The most prominent and direct escalation of this violence occurred on March 7, 1965, on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, an event that became known as "Bloody Sunday." State troopers and local police brutally attacked peaceful marchers with tear gas and billy clubs.

Assess the multiple-choice options

• A. the bombings in Birmingham, Alabama. This is incorrect. The Birmingham church bombing occurred earlier, in September 1963, and was tied to the Birmingham Campaign, not the 1965 Selma campaign.
• B. violent attacks by white officials against civil rights workers. This is a broad description, but the campaign specifically prompted the historic, highly publicized, and direct assault on the Edmund Pettus Bridge as marchers attempted to walk from Selma to Montgomery.
• C. the attack on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. This is the most precise and historically significant event directly prompted by the Selma voting rights campaign, capturing national attention and leading to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
• D. the murder of two white activists and one Black activist. While activists like Jimmie Lee Jackson, James Reeb, and Viola Liuzzo were murdered during the broader Selma movement, this specific phrasing does not accurately define the primary, direct event prompted by the SCLC's organized push.

Therefore, option C is the most accurate and specific answer.

Answer:

• (A) the bombings in Birmingham, Alabama.
• (B) violent attacks by white officials against civil rights workers.
• (C) the attack on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. (Correct answer)
• (D) the murder of two white activists and one Black activist.