Bombing of 16th st. Baptist Church
The 16th Street Baptist Church was bombed on Sunday, September 15, 1963 as an act of racially motivated terrorism.This explosion killed four young girls and injured twenty-two other victims. This event greatly contributed to the support of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The church was three stories high and was a rally meeting spot for civil rights activists. When the bombing happened 26 young students were filing into the basement of the church to listen to a sermon when the bomb exploded. This explosion all but destroyed the church. It blew a hole in the church's rear wall, destroyed the back steps and all but one stained-glass window.