HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. These deliberations continued until the following day. In the closing argument for the defense, attorney Mickey Johnson argued that Cherry had nothing to do with the bombing, and reminded the jurors that his client was not on trial for his beliefs, stating: "It seems like more time has been spent here throwing around the n-word than proving what happened in September 1963. Rev. 35. Cochran also added that although the evidence to be presented would not conclusively show that Cherry had personally planted or ignited the bomb, the combined evidence would illustrate that he had aided and abetted in the commission of the act. Future United States Senator Doug Jones successfully prosecuted Blanton and Cherry. Addie Mae Collins was one of the four little girls murdered in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing back in 1963. The man at right is unidentified. Blanton was convicted in 2001 and Cherry in 2002; both received life sentences (Cherry died in 2004, Blanton in 2020). The church bombing was the third in Birmingham in 11 days after a federal order came down to integrate Alabamas school system. The other victims were Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley and Carole Robertson. [28], Four girlsAddie Mae Collins (age 14, born April 18, 1949), Carol Denise McNair (age 11, born November 17, 1951), Carole Rosamond Robertson (age 14, born April 24, 1949), and Cynthia Dionne Wesley (age 14, born April 30, 1949)were killed in the attack. [68] Later the same year, J. Edgar Hoover formally blocked any impending federal prosecutions against the suspects,[69] and refused to disclose any evidence his agents had obtained with state or federal prosecutors.[70]. Robinson died before reaching the hospital. [36] She had 21 pieces of glass embedded in her face and was blinded in one eye. . Grief will not prevail. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. The force crumbled a stone-and-masonry wall 30 inches thick and left a crater more than 2 feet deep.Retired FBI bomb specialist Charles Killion testified that agents never determined what kind of explosive was used or how the bomb was triggered. Through these rulings, Mitchell Burns was called to testify on behalf of the prosecution. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Denise, was among four girls killed in the bombing at 16th Street Baptist Church nearly 60 years ago. Less than one minute later, the bomb exploded. [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. Blanton's attorneys criticized the validity and quality of the 16 tape recordings introduced as evidence,[105] 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. The bomb exploded on the east side of the building, where five girls were getting ready for church in a basement restroom. Homemade bombs planted by white supremacists in homes and churches became so commonplace that the city was sometimes known as Bombingham. Local African American churches such as the 16th Street Baptist Church were fundamental in the organization of much of the protest activity. 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. Throughout the civil rights movement, Birmingham was a major site of protests, marches, and sit-ins that were often met with police brutality and violence from white citizens. Though Cash died in 1994, Cherry and Blanton were arrested and charged with four counts of murder in 2000. As a result, no federal charges were filed in the '60s. Maxine McNair, the last living parent of the four girls killed in the 1963 bombing of a Birmingham church, passed away Sunday. Blanton was convicted last year and sentenced to life in prison.Klansman Robert Chambliss was convicted of murder in the bombing in 1977 and died in prison. "I will never stop crying thinking about it," said Cross, who was 13 at the . Every last one of us is condemned for that crime and the bombing before it and a decade ago. The intention was to fill the jail with protesters. 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, once recounted to TIME how close she was to possibly being the fifth person killed. [104] He said: "You've got to have a meeting to plan a bomb. Although a subsequent FBI investigation identified three other menBobby Frank Cherry, Herman Cash and Thomas E. Blanton, Jr.as having helped Chambliss commit the crime, it was later revealed that FBI chairman J. Edgar Hoover blocked their prosecution and shut down the investigation without filing charges in 1968. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. ), Both counsels delivered their closing arguments before the jury on May 1. Described by Martin Luther King Jr. as "one of the most vicious and tragic crimes ever perpetrated against humanity,"[5] the explosion at the church killed four girls and injured between 14 and 22 other people. Continuing to maintain his innocence, Chambliss died in prison in 1985. In the rubble of the 16th Street Baptist Church were the bodies of Addie Mae Collins, 14, Denise McNair, 11, Carole Robertson, 14, and Cynthia Wesley, 14. He referred to testimony given by her father, Chris McNair, about the family's loss, and requested that the jury return a verdict of guilty.[86]. Efforts to prosecute the other three men believed responsible for the bombing continued for decades. In 1968, the FBI formally closed their investigation into the bombing without filing charges against any of their named suspects. "[24] Another witness to testify was William Jackson, who testified as to his joining the KKK in 1963 and becoming acquainted with Chambliss shortly thereafter. 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. A day after the tragedy, President Kennedy spoke of his "outrage" and "grief" at the Birmingham church bombing. Birmingham Public Library. It's never too late for a man to be held accountable for his crimes." You can navigate days by using left and right arrows. 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. It was meant to suck the hope out of young lives, bury their aspirations, and ensure that old fears would be propelled forward into the next generation.[146]. [7] Herman Cash died in 1994, and was never charged with his alleged involvement in the bombing. Robbins also discredited the testimony of FBI agent William Fleming, who had earlier testified as to a government witness claiming he had seen Blanton in the vicinity of the church shortly before the bombing. Terms of Use / Privacy Policy / Manage Newsletters, Click terrorist attack, Birmingham, Alabama, United States [1963]. ", 16th Street Baptist pastor John Cross said the bomber "did not only bomb the 16th Street Baptist Church, did not only kill these lovely, innocent girls, but somehow the world was shaken. Other witnesses obtained identified Chambliss as the individual who had placed the bomb beneath the church. Jones repeated the most damning statements Blanton had made in these recordings, before pointing at Blanton and stating: "That is a confession out of this man's mouth. 1963 Birmingham church bombing A grieving relative is led away from the site of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama, on September 15, 1963. Johnson urged the jury against convicting his client by association. At least 14 others are injured in. Such a lack of evidence isnt unusual in powerful explosions, he said, because bomb components often are destroyed.However, defense attorney Mickey Johnson hammered at the lack of evidence. Fred Shuttlesworth officiated instead. Ware, aged 13, was shot in the cheek and chest with a revolver[16] in a residential suburb 15 miles (24km) north of the city. [60] By the time of the announcement, Herman Cash had also died; however, Thomas Blanton and Bobby Cherry were still alive. [88] He was sentenced to life imprisonment for her murder. This group had previously been linked to several bomb attacks at Black-owned businesses and the homes of Black community leaders throughout the spring and summer of 1963. Today marks the 55th anniversary of the tragedy. The 16th Street Baptist Church bombing was the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama on September 15, 1963 by white supremacist terrorists. [121] (A fishing float attached to a section of wire, which may have been part of a timing device, was found 20 feet (6.1m) from the explosion crater[87] following the bombing. 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. The tragic 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, helped set America on a course toward passing the Civil Rights Act of 1964.. And despite the personal tragedy the bombing caused the McNair family, it set them on a path of spreading love, understanding and racial unity to people across the country. AP While the FBI concluded in 1965 that the. People everywhere died.". The deaths in a sense, are on the hands of each of us. Alabama sidesteps compensation for survivor of 1963 KKK Birmingham church bombing. Immediately after the blast, church members wandered dazed and bloodied, covered with white powder and broken stained glass, before starting to dig in the rubble to search for survivors. Despite repeated demands that the perpetrators be brought to justice, the first trial in the case was not held until 1977, when former clan member Robert E. Chambliss was convicted of murder (Chambliss, who continued to maintain his innocence, died in prison in 1985). Original caption: Alabama-Birmingham-bombings-Body removed from 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. An estimated 2,000 Black people converged on the scene in the hours following the explosion. Both the church and the bereaved families received an estimated $23,000 in cash donations from members of the public. Within 24 hours of the bombing, a minimum of five businesses and properties had been firebombed and numerous carsmost of which were driven by whiteshad been stoned by rioting youths. [111] 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. She died Sunday at 93. Most parishioners were able to evacuate the building as it filled with smoke, but the bodies of four young girls (14-year-old Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley and Carole Robertson and 11-year-old Denise McNair) were found beneath the rubble in a basement restroom. The bombing occurred on Sept. 15, 1963, a Sunday, at the 16th Street Baptist Church, which had been a center of civil rights activity in Birmingham. As part of a revival effort by states and the federal government to prosecute cold cases from the civil rights era, the state placed both Blanton Jr. and Cherry on trial, who were each convicted of four counts of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment in 2001 and 2002, respectively. He became a paid FBI informant in 1961. Governor Wallace offered an additional $5,000 on behalf of the state of Alabama. When thousands of Black protesters assembled at the crime scene, Wallace sent hundreds of police and state troopers to the area to break up the crowd. 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. The Rev. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. After lawyers requested an apology and financial reparations for a survivor of the 1963 Birmingham church bombing, Alabama's governor has somewhat obliged: offering a formal apology, while . (The physical description by witnesses of this person varied, and could have matched either Bobby Cherry or Robert Chambliss. Flying debris nearly demolishes vehicles and leaves cars dotted with large holes. Crucial testimony at Cherry's trial was delivered by his former wife, Willadean Brogdon, who had married Cherry in 1970. A fourth suspect, Herman Frank Cash, died in 1994 before he could be brought to trial. Articles with the HISTORY.com Editors byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion, Missy Sullivan and Matt Mullen. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. [50]), Chambliss was questioned by the FBI on September 26. That bomb took the lives of four young girls, including my friend and playmate [Carol] Denise McNair. They forever changed the face of this state and the history of this state. 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. Windows were blown out of nearby businesses as was a stained glass window at the church depicting Christ leading children. Also present was Martin Luther King Jr. This page was last edited on 20 April 2023, at 15:09. I'm shot," he told his brother James with his dying breath. All but one of the church's stained-glass windows were destroyed in the explosion. At a funeral for three of the girls (ones family preferred a separate, private service), King addressed more than 8,000 mourners. "It was just a matter of time," said Pastor John H. Cross of the bombing. Updated: January 25, 2021 | Original: January 27, 2010. Although the Federal Bureau of Investigation had concluded in 1965 that the bombing had been committed by four known KKK members 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 by Attorney General of Alabama Bill Baxley and convicted of the first-degree murder of one of the victims, 11-year-old Carol Denise McNair. [98] The following day, both men surrendered to police. Their deaths made all of us focus upon the ugliness of those who would punish people because of the color of their skin. The last convicted bomber in the 1963 Birmingham church bombing that killed four young African American girls has died in prison, nearly 60 years after the terror attack targeted the US civil. On November 18, 1977,[87] they found Robert Chambliss guilty of the murder of Carol Denise McNair. She was buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Birmingham, but her body has been. [120] Cherry pleaded not guilty to the charges and did not testify on his own behalf during the trial. But, he warned the jury: "Just because you don't like him, that doesn't make him responsible for the bombing. The call was answered by the acting Sunday School secretary, a 14-year-old girl named Carolyn Maull. 1963 terrorist attack in Birmingham, Alabama, The four girls killed in the bombing (clockwise from top left) Addie Mae Collins (14), Cynthia Wesley (14), Carole Robertson (14), and Carol Denise McNair (11), Shuttlesworth v. Birmingham Board of Education, Armstrong v. Birmingham Board of Education, Smith v. Young Men's Christian Association, University of Alabama desegregation crisis, Tuskegee High School desegregation crisis, 1963 Birmingham campaign's Children's Crusade, Mass racial violence in the United States, Racial segregation of churches in the United States, Timeline of terrorist attacks in the United States, "How Much Has Changed Since the Birmingham Church Bombing? (Upon cross-examination by defense attorney Art Hanes Jr., Cantrell conceded that Chambliss had emphatically denied bombing the church. All Rights Reserved. Killion agreed with Mr. Johnsons suggestion that a bomb could have been tossed from a passing car rather than placed under an exterior stairway, as prosecutors suggested in a previous trial.Mr. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. [12] The city had no Black police officers or firefighters[12] and most Black residents could expect to find menial employment in professions such as cooks and cleaners. Cherry's defense attorney, Mickey Johnson, protested his client's innocence, citing that much of the evidence presented was circumstantial. Within one week of being sworn into office, Baxley had researched original police files into the bombing, discovering that the original police documents were "mostly worthless". In the aftermath of the bombing, thousands of angry Black protesters gathered at the scene of the bombing. Shortly thereafter, she had heard "the most horrible noise", before being struck on the head by debris. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. "[124] 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. "[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. The citys police commissioner, Eugene Bull Connor, was notorious for his willingness to use brutality in combating radical demonstrators, union members and any Black citizens. Blanton, however, hired a lawyer and refused to answer any questions. After Baxley requested access to the original FBI files on the case, he learned that evidence accumulated by the FBI against the named suspects between 1963 and 1965 had not been revealed to the local prosecutors in Birmingham. A fifth girl who had been with them, Sarah Collins (the younger sister of Addie Mae Collins), lost her right eye in the explosion, and several other people were injured. [33], Between 14 and 22 additional people were injured in the explosion,[34][35] one of whom was Addie Mae's younger sister, 12-year-old Sarah Collins. Several dozen people were present at the unveiling, presided over by state Senator. Jackson testified that Chambliss had expressed frustration that the Klan was "dragging its feet" on the issue of racial integration,[18] and said he was eager to form a splinter group more dedicated to resistance. A statement from Alabama's congressional delegation denounced the bombing. [97], On May 16, 2000, a grand jury in Alabama indicted Thomas Edwin Blanton and Bobby Frank Cherry on eight counts each in relation to the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. However, none of these explosions had resulted in fatalities. On September 18, the funeral of the three other girls killed in the bombing was held at the Sixth Avenue Baptist Church. [99]:162, The state prosecution had originally intended to try both defendants together; however, the trial of Bobby Cherry was delayed due to the findings of a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation. C.E. Following these closing arguments, the jury retired to consider their verdicts. [11] The intentional scope of these activities was to see the end of segregation across Birmingham and the South as a whole. As Birmingham took on the appearance of a battle zone, with hundreds of police, troopers and guardsmen patrolling the streets, another black teen, Johnny Robinson, was shot to death by police. The NAACP questioned the speed of the investigation and whether all resources available were being utilized. A later report stated: "By 1965, we had [four] serious suspectsnamely Thomas Blanton Jr., Herman Frank Cash, Robert Chambliss, and Bobby Frank Cherry, all Klan membersbut witnesses were reluctant to talk and physical evidence was lacking. Outrage over the incident and the violent clash between protesters and police that followed helped draw national attention to the hard-fought, often-dangerous struggle for civil rights for African Americans. On May 21, 2002, both prosecution and defense attorneys delivered their closing arguments to the jury. Within days of the bombing, investigators began to focus their attention upon a KKK splinter group known as the "Cahaba Boys". No one ever really has known and no one will until this city becomes part of the United States. [48]:386 On September 29, he was indicted upon charges of illegally purchasing and transporting dynamite on September 4, 1963. His testimony was restricted to the areas of the recordings permitted into evidence. Alvin and Alpha Robertson, parents of Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing victim Carole Robertson at the funeral for their daughter; Sept. 17, 1963. Wallace and his advisers have been sowing the seeds of this disaster," the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law stated. "The answer should be, "We all did it." Corrections? I didn't bomb that church. Sept. 19, 2020 Even though it has been more than 50 years since Ku Klux Klansmen bombed the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., Sarah Collins Rudolph said remnants from the blast. Martin said: "The cold-blooded callousness of this hate crime has not diminished by the passage of time." Updates? Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke at the funeral of three of the girls. [27] Several other cars parked near the site of the blast were destroyed, and windows of properties located more than two blocks from the church were also damaged. 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. Mauldin testified on April 30 that he had observed two men in a Rambler station wagon adorned with a Confederate flag repeatedly drive past the church immediately before the blast, and that, seconds after the bomb had exploded, the car had "burned rubber" as it drove away. (Tom Self/ Birmingham News), A newspaper clipping shows police officers in the immediate aftermath of the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., Sunday, Sept. 15, 1963. [64], The FBI encountered difficulties in their initial investigation into the bombing. The current state death penalty law applied only to crimes committed after its passage. Here are photos from that day: Original caption: NEWS FILE/TOM SELF Firefighters sift through rubble and search for bodies in the basement of Sixteenth Street Baptist Church after a bomb killed four girls on Sunday, September 15, 1963. 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,[128] but said that he could have prosecuted Thomas Blanton and Bobby Cherry in 1977 if he had been granted access to these tapes. According to Vann's later testimony, Chambliss was standing "looking down toward the church, like a firebug watching his fire".
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