"[112], Blanton was sentenced to life imprisonment. Barbara Ann Cross also testified for the prosecution. Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), Current one is: September 15. Future United States Senator Doug Jones successfully prosecuted Blanton and Cherry. Victim in 1963 Alabama Church Bombing Seeks State Restitution - The New [11] The intentional scope of these activities was to see the end of segregation across Birmingham and the South as a whole. [27] Several other cars parked near the site of the blast were destroyed, and windows of properties located more than two blocks from the church were also damaged. Continuing to maintain his innocence, Chambliss died in prison in 1985. [68] Later the same year, J. Edgar Hoover formally blocked any impending federal prosecutions against the suspects,[69] and refused to disclose any evidence his agents had obtained with state or federal prosecutors.[70]. A fourth suspect died without being charged. [92], Robert Chambliss died in the Lloyd Noland Hospital and Health Center on October 29, 1985, at the age of 81. Reverend Cobbs stated that her uncle had repeatedly informed her he had been engaged in what he referred to as a "one-man battle" against Blacks since the 1940s. Vernon Merritt photo, More than 1,600 people attended the memorial service for Carole Rosamond Robertson on Sept. 17, 1963. Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), Aftermath of the Birmingham Church Bombing, Lasting Impact of the Birmingham Church Bombing, information concerning the identity of the bombers, https://www.history.com/topics/1960s/birmingham-church-bombing. [25] According to one survivor, the explosion shook the entire building and propelled the girls' bodies through the air "like rag dolls". [120] Cherry pleaded not guilty to the charges and did not testify on his own behalf during the trial. The church was used as a meeting-place for civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., Ralph David Abernathy, and Fred Shuttlesworth, for organizing and educating marchers. [126] Cherry remained stoic as the sentence was read aloud. [102] In January 2002, Judge Garrett ruled Cherry mentally competent to stand trial and set an initial trial date for April 29. [17] Other acts of violence followed the settlement, and several staunch Klansmen were known to have expressed frustration at what they saw as a lack of effective resistance to integration.[18]. The files were sealed by order of J. Edgar Hoover. Mr. Cherry, a 71-year-old retired truck driver, is accused of being part of a group of Klansmen who planted a bomb outside the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, a rallying place for civil rights. "Violence is not in our plans," the Rev. He and two acquaintances, John Hall and Charles Cagle, were each convicted in state court upon a charge of illegally possessing and transporting dynamite on October 8. He said the blast shredded the girls bodies.Some members of the jury looked down and grimaced as Mr. Brissie used a large screen to display black-and-white photographs of the bodies.Defendant Bobby Frank Cherry also turned his head away from the photos, which werent visible to a gallery that included several of the victims relatives sitting in the front row.Mr. [21] The anonymous caller simply said the words, "Three minutes"[22]:10 to Maull before terminating the call. The 16th Street Baptist Church bombing marked a turning point in the Civil Rights movement and contributed to passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. On July 2, 1964, President Lyndon Johnson signed into effect the Civil Rights Act of 1964. [12] Black residents did not just experience segregation in the context of leisure and employment, but also in the context of their freedom and well-being. Long-delayed trial of former Ku Klux Klansman Thomas Blanton Jr in fatal 1963 bombing of black Birmingham, Ala, church opens; another of 4 original suspects, Robert Chambliss, was convicted in . The sole stained-glass window largely undamaged in the explosion depicted Christ leading a group of young children. 16th Street Baptist Church bombing: Photos of the tragedy Following these closing arguments, the jury retired to consider their verdicts. Cobbs also testified that approximately one week after the bombing, she had observed Chambliss watching a news report relating to the four girls killed in the bombing. Every last one of us is condemned for that crime and the bombing before it and a decade ago. Windows were blown out of nearby businesses as was a stained glass window at the church depicting Christ leading children. [36] She had 21 pieces of glass embedded in her face and was blinded in one eye. [11], The three-story 16th Street Baptist Church was a rallying point for civil rights activities through the spring of 1963. Denise, was among four girls killed in the bombing at 16th Street Baptist Church nearly 60 years ago. "[45], Two more Black youths, Johnny Robinson and Virgil Ware, were shot to death in Birmingham within seven hours of the Sunday morning bombing. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Fifteen sticks of dynamite were planted in the church basement, underneath what turned out to be the girls restroom. Both named individuals were charged with four counts of first-degree murder, and four counts of universal malice. An estimated 2,000 Black people converged on the scene in the hours following the explosion. Within days of the bombing, investigators began to focus their attention upon a KKK splinter group known as the "Cahaba Boys". Blanton was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. On September 15, 1963, a bomb explodes during Sunday morning services in the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, killing four young girls: Addie Mae Collins (14), Cynthia Wesley (14), Carole Robertson (14) and Carol Denise McNair (11). Although never formally named as one of the conspirators by the FBI, Rowe's record of deception on the polygraph tests leaves open the possibility that Chambliss's claims may have held a degree of truth. She was distressed about a remark made by Martin Luther King, who had said that the mindset that enabled the murder of the four girls was the "apathy and complacency" of Black people in Alabama. "[53] Carole Robertson was buried in a blue casket at Shadow Lawn Cemetery.[54]. Mr. Cherry is the final surviving suspect, and prosecutors say his trial will be the last in the case.The bomb went off on a Sunday morning, killing Denise McNair, 11, and Carole Robertson, Addie Mae Collins and Cynthia Wesley, all 14.The girls were in a downstairs lounge primping for a youth-led worship service when the bomb exploded outside the building. That same day, news reports described the federal hunt for the bombers as rivaling the search for John Dillinger. 'Fifth Little Girl' in Birmingham Church Bombing Tells Harrowing Tale The four girls between the ages of 11 and 14 became innocent victims and emblems of the racist hatred. 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing : NPR The last convicted Birmingham church bomber has died in prison [57][58], As the girls' coffins were taken to their graves, King directed that those present remain solemn and forbade any singing, shouting or demonstrations. here for reprint permission. His famous Letter from a Birmingham Jail was published in the national press, along with shocking images of police brutality against protesters in Birmingham that helped build widespread support for the civil rights cause. "We've been expecting this all along.". (Tom Self/ Birmingham News), Original caption: Destruction is seen in the immediate aftermath of the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., Sunday, Sept. 15, 1963. AP While the FBI concluded in 1965 that the. [111] When asked by the judge whether he had anything to say before sentence was imposed, Blanton said: "I guess the Lord will settle it on Judgment Day. Cochran also reminded the jury of a secretly obtained FBI recording, which had earlier been introduced into evidence, in which Cherry had told his first wife, Jean, that he and other Klansmen had constructed the bomb within the premises of business the Friday before the bombing. Both the church and the bereaved families received an estimated $23,000 in cash donations from members of the public. This photo shows President Kennedy's visit to Redstone Arsenal on Sept. 11, 1962. The Birmingham church bombing shocked the nation during the fight for the Civil Rights. A day after the tragedy, President Kennedy spoke of his "outrage" and "grief" at the Birmingham church bombing. The intention was to fill the jail with protesters. The last convicted Birmingham church bomber has died in prison In the early morning of Sunday, September 15, 1963, four members of the United Klans of AmericaThomas Edwin Blanton Jr., Robert Edward Chambliss,[19] Bobby Frank Cherry, and (allegedly) Herman Frank Cashplanted a minimum of 15 sticks[20] of dynamite with a time delay under the steps of the church, close to the basement. Brogdon also testified that Cherry had told her of his regret that children had died in the bombing, before adding his satisfaction that they would never reproduce. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Thomas Blanton, left, and Bobby Frank Cherry appear in court on May 19, 2000, in Birmingham after being accused of the 1963 church bombing. The Rev. Did you know? Birmingham Church Bombing - History Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 4/4/2023), Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/26/2023). )[22]:63. Alabama sidesteps compensation for survivor of 1963 KKK Birmingham church bombing. Chambliss v. State :: 1979 :: Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals Cherry's defense attorney, Mickey Johnson, protested his client's innocence, citing that much of the evidence presented was circumstantial. In May 2000, the FBI publicly announced their findings that the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing had been committed by four members of the KKK splinter group known as the Cahaba Boys. Cherrys trial was delayed after judges ruled he was mentally incompetent to stand trial. Many of the civil rights protest marches that took place in Birmingham during the 1960s began at the steps of the 16th Street Baptist Church, which had long been a significant religious center for the citys Black population and a routine meeting place for civil rights organizers like King. Baxley acknowledged that typical juries in 1960s Alabama would have likely leaned in favor of both defendants, even if these recordings had been presented as evidence,[128] but said that he could have prosecuted Thomas Blanton and Bobby Cherry in 1977 if he had been granted access to these tapes. All Rights Reserved. The Board of Pardons and Paroles debated for less than 90 seconds before denying parole to Blanton. He said that Cherry had signed an affidavit in the presence of the FBI on October 9, 1963, confirming that he, Chambliss, and Blanton were at these premises on this date.[125]. [40] Police urged parents of Black and white youths to keep their children indoors, as the Governor of Alabama, George Wallace, ordered an additional 300 state police and 500 Alabama National Guardsmen to assist in quelling unrest. Stressing that Blanton should not be judged for his beliefs, Robbins again vehemently criticized the validity and poor quality of the audio recordings presented, and the selectivity of the sections which had been introduced into evidence. That bomb took the lives of four young girls, including my friend and playmate [Carol] Denise McNair. 16th Street Baptist Church interior after the bombing . Though Birminghams white supremacists (and even certain individuals) were immediately suspected in the bombing, repeated calls for the perpetrators to be brought to justice went unanswered for more than a decade. "[68], Bobby Frank Cherry died of cancer on November 18, 2004, at age 74, while incarcerated at the Kilby Correctional Facility. The call was answered by the acting Sunday School secretary, a 14-year-old girl named Carolyn Maull. Cochran also added that although the evidence to be presented would not conclusively show that Cherry had personally planted or ignited the bomb, the combined evidence would illustrate that he had aided and abetted in the commission of the act. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. Baxley noted that the day of the closing argument fell upon what would have been Carol Denise McNair's 26th birthday and that she would have likely been a mother by this date. Most parishioners were able to evacuate the building as it filled with smoke, but the bodies of four young girls (14-year-old Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley and Carole Robertson and 11-year-old Denise McNair) were found beneath the rubble in a basement restroom. Sept. 19, 2020 Even though it has been more than 50 years since Ku Klux Klansmen bombed the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., Sarah Collins Rudolph said remnants from the blast. birmingham church bombing victims autopsy - southlakepeds.com I don't know why I'm going to jail for nothing. ", 16th Street Baptist pastor John Cross said the bomber "did not only bomb the 16th Street Baptist Church, did not only kill these lovely, innocent girls, but somehow the world was shaken. [116], His first parole hearing was held on August 3, 2016. Alabama's governor apologizes to Sarah Collins Rudolph - CNN