Selma, Alabama

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Selma
Selma's location in Dallas County (left) and Alabama (right)
Location in County and Alabama
Basic data
Foundation : 1815
State : United States
State : Alabama
County : Dallas County
Coordinates : 32 ° 25 ′  N , 87 ° 1 ′  W Coordinates: 32 ° 25 ′  N , 87 ° 1 ′  W
Time zone : Central ( UTC − 6 / −5 )
Residents : 20,756 (as of 2010)
Population density : 578.2 inhabitants per km 2
Area : 37.4 km 2  (approx. 14 mi 2 ) of
which 35.9 km 2  (approx. 14 mi 2 ) is land
Height : 38 m
Postcodes : 36701-36703
Area code : +1 334
FIPS : 01-69120
GNIS ID : 0163940
Website : www.selma-al.gov
Mayor : George Patrick Evans
The Street United Methodist Church, built in 1902

Selma is an American city ​​in Alabama in Dallas County and the seat of the county seat . It is located on the Alabama River and has about 20,756 inhabitants (as of 2010).

history

Selma was founded in 1816. During the civil war (1861-1865), important war goods for the Confederation were manufactured in Selma . On April 2, 1865, Major General James H. Wilson defeated Nathan Bedford Forrest's forces in the Battle of Selma and conquered the state for the Union.

The city became known worldwide through three marches from Selma to Montgomery in 1965 . The marches led by Martin Luther King concerned the inclusion of black US citizens on the electoral roll. The first two marches were stopped by the police shortly after the city limits of Selma (by force). The third march finally had the desired success in March 1965 ; however, three people were killed, including a priest. The last stanza of the protest song Eve of Destruction by Barry McGuire ("Think of all the hate there is in Red China, then take a look around to Selma, Alabama!") Also points to Selma's role in the fight against racial segregation .

In 2000, a monument to Confederate officer Nathan Bedford Forrest was unveiled in Selma. This measure was controversial because Forrest was accused of war crimes by the north (see Battle of Fort Pillow ) and he is said to have been one of the founders of the Ku Klux Klan . In 2012 this monument was damaged by unknown persons.

On March 7, 2015, Barack Obama and a hundred congressmen came to Selma for the 50th anniversary of the first Selma to Montgomery March. They were received by Mayor George Evans, the second black mayor in town history.

National Register of Historic Places

Brown Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church (2019)

18 structures and sites in Selma are on the National Register of Historic Places as of November 12, 2019, including the Sturdivant Hall and the Joseph T. Smitherman Historic Building , also known as the Old Dallas County Courthouse. The Brown Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church , which was the starting point of the marches, and the Edmund Pettus Bridge have had National Historic Landmark status since 1997 and 2013, respectively .

sons and daughters of the town

literature

  • Alston Fitts: Selma: A Bicentennial History. University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa 2017, ISBN 978-0-8173-1932-8 .

Web links

Commons : Selma, Alabama  - Collection of pictures, videos, and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Encyclopedia of Alabama (English)
  2. ↑ http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/selmaforrest.html
  3. ↑ Bust of Civil War General Stirs Anger in Alabama . In: New York Times , August 24, 2012. 
  4. ↑ a b Frank Herrmann, "Gott gegen Gewehre", in: BNN No. 55, March 7, 2015, p. 3.
  5. ↑ Search mask database in the National Register Information System. National Park Service , accessed November 12, 2019.
    Weekly List on the National Register Information System. National Park Service , accessed November 12, 2019.
  6. ↑ Listing of National Historic Landmarks by State: Alabama. National Park Service , accessed November 12, 2019.