The Civil War, although over, would leave a lasting scar on the nation. Southerners lost both the war and their manpower. In 1865, the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery. The amendment was a big step toward equality by granting freedom to slaves. However, it did not grant African Americans the right to vote, nor could this amendment prevent discrimination and mistreatment of African Americans. Due to continued inequity, the suffrage movement gained momentum. African Americans had won their freedom and now wanted the right to vote. The reason for this desire was not simply that they wanted to get involved in politics, but rather that the ability to vote would make them more equal with their oppressors. Equality was something that many African Americans were willing to die for, and many would become martyrs. Resistance campaigns erupted across the country, but one of the largest movements took place in Selma, Alabama. The Alabama Voting Rights Project, AVRP, was centered in Selma (meaning "high point" of the civil rights movement), Alabama.1 Selma would be home to some of the most important voting rights campaigns. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, SCLC, coordinated mass protest campaigns and voter registration drives in Selma as well as other areas of the South.2 The Selma movement would become known throughout the world after the event known as Bloody Sunday.3Bloody Sunday. took place on March 7, 1965; it was the first of three steps. The march from Selma to the capital, Montgomery, took place to protest the death of activist Jimmy Lee Jackson and the denial of voting rights.3 More than six hundred demonstrators led by the SCLC and SNCC,..... . middle of paper ...... and Web. May 24, 2014. “Selma to Montgomery March (1965).” Selma to Montgomery March (1965). Np, and Web. May 23, 2014. “Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). » Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Np, and Web. May 23, 2014. “Voting Rights Act of 1965.” Home page of the Civil Rights Division. Np, and Web. May 23, 2014. .United States. National Park Service. “We Shall Overcome – March from Selma to Montgomery.” National Park Service. US Department of the Interior, nd Web. May 23 2014. .