Justice Revisited: The Catalyst of the Voting Rights Act of 1965‪.‬

ABSTRACT The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was an important result of activity in Alabama that received a great deal of publicity in this country and abroad. It resulted in part from the famous Selma to Montgomery March in 1965, and the horrific events on one day commonly known as "Bloody Sunday". Yet, why did the march take place? What caused so many people to stand up for a right and be subjected to horrendous beatings by state troopers? This author contends that one major reason was the shooting of a civil rights activist by a white Alabama state trooper during that turbulent year. It may not be the only reason, but it did seem to be a major reason. Perhaps the shooting represents an example of "path dependence" in the sense that where we are today is a result of an event that occurred in the past. The shooting may also be an example of the effect that a martyr has in bringing change to a society. In fact, Jimmie Lee Jackson is viewed as a martyr near his home town. The shooting occurred more than forty years ago, and for a number of years the state of Alabama had been seeking to prosecute the trooper for this act. This article examines the events of the shooting and identifies a number of factors that were important in the prosecution. Information about the event was obtained from various newspapers, but the author was fortunate to have obtained a declassified Federal Bureau of Investigation report of the shooting. The file is more than 150 pages long. It contains copies of actual reports of numerous interviews in Alabama conducted by agents of the Bureau regarding the shooting. It was quite helpful in clarifying some newspaper articles about the shooting.