Kelly Ingram Park, Alabama

Kelly Ingram Park in downtown Birmingham was the site of a major event in the nation's civil rights struggle. Sculptures in the park commemorate events which took place in 1963, when the police arrested protesters who had gathered there in response to the imprisonment of Martin Luther King, Jr., who had been put in jail for protesting the police beatings of the bus bound Freedom Riders. The police were photographed attacking people with dogs, nightsticks, and fire hoses, including children. Across from the park is the 16th Street Baptist Church, a center for the city's black community, made famous in 1963 by a KKK bombing that killed four young girls. Across the street from it is the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, a national museum on the subject of civil rights. The Institute's displays introduce legions of visiting high school students to the history of the 1950's and 1960's movement.