Although the Civil Rights Movement had been active under Dr. Martin Luther King's leadership, little progress was being made following the dramatic gains of 1960 and 1961.
President Kennedy supported civil rights but held back from introducing his own bill, and King was running out of options.
During the march the real south showed its ugly side, giving Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement the jolt and leverage it needed to accomplish its ultimate goal.
On May 5, protestors marched to the city jail where many young people were being held and continued practicing their tactics of non-violent demonstrations.
The Children's March played a pivotal role in ending legal segregation, as the media coverage of the event further brought the plight of Southern African Americans to the national stage.
But on September 15, the Ku Klux Klan bombed the 16th Street Baptist Church, killing four African American girls, and on November 22 President Kennedy was assassinated.
The children who died in the church bombing were Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, and Carole Robertson, all 14, and Denise McNair, 11.