(many of whom had come from other regions of the country, inspired by the
campaign) onto the Edmund Pettus Bridge once more. Once there, they were
again met by Alabama police. In a gesture of peace, the marchers knelt in prayer
on the bridge. After a while, King stood up, turned around, and began to walk
back the way the marchers had come from, not wishing to antagonise the
restraining order. It is likely King had faith that the Court would eventually grant
a court order of protection, and decided that the best course of action would be to
ensure federal support. Later that day, four member of the KKK attacked and beat
three white ministers who had taken part in the march. One, by the name of
Reverend James Reeb, was killed. The reception to the second march varied. The
media reacted with outrage at the death of unjust death of James Reeb. The more
radical wing of the SNCC reacted with frustration, as they felt that the court order,
which was eventually granted, had been motivated by the death of a white person,
whereas the death of Jimmy Lee Jackson had been less important to the support
of the Movement. The reversal of the court judgement is also likely to have come
from the commitment made by President Johnson to guarantee the protection of
the marchers, following unsuccessful negotiations with Governor Wallace.
Approximately 8,000 people joined King on 21 st March at the Brown Chapel
A.M.E. Church, where the campaign had begun, to march from Selma to
Montgomery. By the time they had arrived in Montgomery the number of
marchers had reached 25,000. They were joined by large white contingency from
all corner of the United States. For King, arriving in Montgomery, where his
career as a Civil Rights leader had started with the Bus Boycott in 1956, became
the most triumphant moment of his political career. From the State Capitol
Building, he delivered his “How long? Not long!” speech to a jubilant crowd.
During the campaign, President Johnson had introduced a Voting Rights Bill to
Congress, which effectively ended legal disqualification of voter registration.
Following the march, he delivered a powerful speech to the House, using the
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