Civil Rights DBQ Construction: 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing of 1963

Elena Parisi & Anson Cook

October 11, 2022

Source M: Charles Morgan, Jr. was a white lawyer from Birmingham. He delivered this speech
following the bombing of the 16th Street chapel
(“Congressional Record: Proceedings and debates of the 88th United States Congress.” Google Books,
www.google.com/books/edition/Congressional_Record/Rzo4AQAAMAAJ. Accessed 14 Oct. 2022)

“All across Alabama, an angry, guilty people cry out their mocking shouts of indignity and say they
wonder, "Why?" "Who?" Everyone then "deplores" the "dastardly" act. But you know the "who" of "who
did it" is really rather simple. The "who" is every little individual who talks about the "niggers" and
spreads the seeds of his hate to his neighbor and his son. The jokester, the crude oaf whose racial
jokes rock the party with laughter. The "who" is every governor who ever shouted for lawlessness and
became a law violator. It is every senator and every representative who in the halls of Congress stands
and with mock humility tells the world that things back home aren't really like they are. It is courts that
move ever so slowly, and newspapers that timorously defend the law.”

Source N: Photo was taken at a

march sponsored by the Congress for
Racial Equality in Washington, D.C. in
1963. The image in the poster depicts
the wreckage of the bombed church.

(Margolick, David. “Book Excerpt: How

Birmingham Shaped MLK’s Civil
Rights’ Struggle.” U.S., 28 Mar. 2018,
www.reuters.com/article/usa-mlk-
robert kennedy-commentary-
idUSKBN1H428 Z).

Source O: Letter written to President Kennedy from Francis Kornegay, Executive Director of the Detroit
Urban League, written September 16, 1963. Kornegay was Black.

Kornegay, Francis A. “Letter on Behalf of the Detroit Urban League.” Received by President John F.
Kennedy, 208 Mack Avenue, 16 Sept. 1963, Detroit, Michigan, https://civilrights.jfklibrary.org/media-
assets/the-bombing-of-the-16th-street-baptist-church.html#Public-Opinion.
Source P: Excerpt from a September 23, 1963 statement by President Kennedy. Kennedy sent Royall
and Blaik on a mission to Birmingham to act as a committee and survey the racial situation.

Kennedy, John F. "Statement by the President." Office of the White House Press Secretary, 23 Sept.
1963. https://civilrights.jfklibrary.org/media-assets/the-bombing-of-the-16th-street-baptist-
church.html#Aftermath--The-Presidents-Meetings.

Both groups also expressed hope that General Royall and Colonel Blaik will be able to contribute to
easing the situation and stated that these representatives would be welcome to the city, as did the
group of Negro leaders last week.

General Royall and Colonel Blaik intend to proceed to Birmingham tomorrow. Their mission is to be of
whatever assistance they can in restoring good communication between the white and Negro
communities in that city and in easing the racial tensions which now exist. We have now had
expression from all the major elements in the city that this committee will be welcome and I ask
everyone to cooperate with them.

All the groups have expressed confidence that these matters can be settled on a local level. That is
also my strong belief. I am hopeful that all groups will work vigorously to that end in the coming days.
Questions:
1: A. What factors, according to Source M, are responsible for racial violence in the South such as the
events of the 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing? (3 marks)

B. What does Source N reveal about the public response to racial violence such as the 16th Street
Baptist Church Bombing? (2 marks)

2: With respect to origins, purpose, and content, examine the values and limitations of Source O for a
historian studying the 16th Street chapel bombing and its aftermath. (4 marks)

3: Compare and contrast what Sources O and P reveal about the public response to the Birmingham
church bombings. (6 marks)

4: Using the sources and your own knowledge, examine how and to what extent racial violence, such
as the 16th Street bombing, impacted the progress of the Civil Rights movement (9 marks)

Markscheme:
Question 1a: What factors, according to Source M, are responsible for racial violence in the South such
as the events of the 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing? (3 marks)

- Media “timorously defending the law”

- Legislators & government officials who preserve the status quo
- Individuals’ insensitive actions and hateful words
- Courts moving slowly

Question 1b: What does Source N reveal about the public response to racial violence such as the 16th
Street Baptist Church Bombing? (2 marks)

- Both black and white individuals protested racial violence together

- Women were underrepresented in the protests
- Protests spread outside Birmingham (march took place in D.C.)

Question 2: With respect to origins, purpose, and content, examine the values and limitations of Source
O for a historian studying the 16th Street chapel bombing and its aftermath. (4 marks)

Possible values:
- Origins in Detroit may show how communities across the nation perceived the events in
Birmingham/how widespread news of the event was
- Purpose of convincing the President to seize Birmingham reveals the gravity of the bombing as well
as the belif that a federal response that was required
- Purpose of convincing the President to fire Governor Wallace revleals the angry and disappointed
reaction of the Black community to the bombing and Alabama’s actions.
- Use of religious language (“Hell went to church and killed four angles”) is valuable in that it shows
the high emotions that were associated with the bombing, as well as the persuasive tactics used to
demonstrate the need for intervention

Possible limitations:
- Intended purpose (influence the passage of pro-civil rights legislation) may have led Kornegay to
focus on an emotional, rather than factual appeal.
- Because Kornegay lived in Detroit, he lacked close familiarity with the social and political tensions
present in Birmingham.
- The letter was written immediately after the bombing; Kornegay was unaware of continuing
developments in Birmingham.

Question 3: Compare and contrast what Sources O and P reveal about the public response to the
Birmingham church bombings. (6 marks)

Possible comparisons:
- Sources O and P both assert that the situation in Birmingham is unstable enough to merit federal
intervention
- Both sources express the wish to restore peace and safety to Birmingham
- Both claim that the ultimate goal is for Birmingham to have local rule without any violent outbreaks.

Possible contrasts:
- Kornegay advocated for federal intervention, whereas Kennedy’s public statement expressed hope
for a quick and peaceful resolution at the local level.
- Kornegay portrayed the gravity of the situation using emotionally charged language in order to
argue why intervention was needed, whereas Kennedy used a neutral and professional tone in order to
portray calmness.
- Kennedy’s statement shows approval of his proposals by both Blacks and whites in Birmingham,
whereas Kornegay fails to offer support as for why his approach will be accepted or successful

4: Using the sources and your own knowledge, examine to what extent racial violence, such as the
16th Street bombing, impacted the progress of the Civil Rights movement (9 marks)

Source M: The source reveals that the bombing of the church and death of four children made many
whites angry, causing them to show support for civil rights and the end of racial violence. These liberal
whites were very critical of the racist actions of the white community around them. White support was
very important to the movement.

Source N: The source demonstrates the white and black reaction against violence in different parts of
the nation. It shows cooperation of the races to protest for better treatment of blacks.

Source O: This source demonstrates that the bombing sparked outrage across the nation, convincing
many people of the need to rectify the violent situation in Birmingham. It also shows that the bombing
called for a federal intervention in Birmingham in order to restore order.

Source P: The source shows that the federal government did intervene in Birmingham after the racial
violence in order to facilitate good communication between whites and blacks that would hopefully lead
to further equality for blacks.

Possible outside knowledge:

- Emmett Till’s murder: His open-casket funeral demonstrated to the while North what Blacks in the
South truly faced, and convinced many that change was necessary
- Violence tied to the Freedom Rides: The buses were attacked in Anniston and Birmingham, they
were mobbed and bombed. The threat of continued violence against the riders convinced JFK to
pressure the Interstate Commerce Commission into reversing interstate transportation segregation.
- Freedom Summer: there was racial violence and many were killed. The death of two young whites
in particular drew national and international attention to the civil rights movement
- The Children’s Crusade: Children who walked out of school in Birmingham in protest were beaten
and attacked with hoses and dogs by the police. Photos of this shocked the North and convinced
President Kennedy to publicly voice support of civil rights legislation, which eventually led to the Civil
RIghts Act of 1964 under President Johnson.
- Integration of Central High in Little Rock: The nine Black students who tried to enter Central High
after being accepted were mobbed by a group of violent whites. They also faced violence from the
Arkansas state guard, who blocked them from entering the school. The violence convinced President
Esinhower to order the national guard to force the integration of the school, as a state governor has
violated federal supremacy.