The Selma to Montgomery marches were a series of three protest marches held in 1965 to advocate for voting rights for African Americans. Organized by civil rights leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr., the marches aimed to highlight the discrimination faced by Black voters in the South. The first march, known as "Bloody Sunday," ended violently when marchers were confronted by law enforcement at the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The marches began in Selma, Alabama, and concluded in Montgomery, the state capital. The events drew national attention and led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which aimed to eliminate barriers to voting for African Americans.