Children's Crusade (1963)

The Children's Crusade, or Children's March, was a march by over 1,000 school students in Birmingham, Alabama, on May 2–10, 1963. Initiated and organized by Rev. James Bevel, the purpose of the march was to walk downtown to talk to the mayor about legalized segregation in their city. Many children left their schools and were arrested, set free, and then arrested again the next day. The marches were stopped by the head of police, Bull Connor, who brought fire hoses to ward off the children and set police dogs after the children. This event compelled President John F. Kennedy to publicly support federal civil rights legislation and eventually led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and others, such as Malcolm X, were opposed to the event because they thought it would expose the children to violence.