On March 7, 1965, a civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, known as Bloody Sunday, aimed to protest racial discrimination and demand voting rights for African Americans. The marchers, led by figures like John Lewis and Martin Luther King Jr., faced violent opposition from law enforcement at the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The brutal response from police, which included tear gas and beatings, was widely televised, shocking the nation and drawing attention to the civil rights movement. This event ultimately contributed to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which aimed to eliminate barriers to voting for African Americans.