Selma to Montgomery March Byway
Alabama State Capitol Building, AL

Built in 1851, and then, in 1861, serving as the site of the first capitol of the Confederacy, the capitol reflects 140 years of shifting tastes in architecture and furnishings. Historic Senate Chamber, House of Representatives, old Supreme Court Chamber, and original governor's office have been restored to Civil War-era appearance.

The steps of the capitol served as the culminating point of the Selma to Montgomery March. Here, March 25, 1965, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., addressed a crowd of near 30,000. A 20-member committee, appointed by King, then presented a list of grievances to Governor George Wallce. In response, within five months of the march, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, assuring equal voting rights to all Americans.