After federal protection is secured, thousands complete the 54-mile march from Selma to Montgomery, where King delivers 'How Long, Not Long.'
At a Glance
- Date
- 25 March 1965
- Location
- Montgomery, Alabama
- Key people
- Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis
- Category
- Civil Rights Movement
- Source
- Contemporary press; National Park Service records · National Park Service
What It Meant Then
It capped the voting-rights campaign that forced national action.
What It Means Now
The march is commemorated annually along the Selma-to-Montgomery National Historic Trail.
Also on 25 March
Cite this page
- MLA
- “The Selma-to-Montgomery March Reaches the Capitol.” Black-History.com, 30 Sept. 2026, https://black-history.com/on-this-day/the-selma-to-montgomery-march-reaches-the-capitol/.
- APA
- Black-History.com Editors. (2026, September 30). The Selma-to-Montgomery March Reaches the Capitol. Black-History.com. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/the-selma-to-montgomery-march-reaches-the-capitol/
- Chicago
- Black-History.com Editors. “The Selma-to-Montgomery March Reaches the Capitol.” Black-History.com. September 30, 2026. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/the-selma-to-montgomery-march-reaches-the-capitol/.
Editorial Note
By the Black-History.com editors. Last reviewed 30 September 2026. To suggest a primary source or a correction, write to editors@black-history.com or use our corrections form.