Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2012 From Selma to Montgomery: Remembering Alabama's Civil Rights Movement Through Museums Holly Jansen Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES FROM SELMA TO MONTGOMERY: REMEMBERING ALABAMA’S CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT THROUGH MUSEUMS By HOLLY JANSEN A Thesis submitted to the Department of History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Degree Awarded: Fall Semester, 2012 Holly Jansen defended this thesis on November 2, 2012. The members of the supervisory committee were: Maxine D. Jones Professor Co-Directing Thesis Jennifer L. Koslow Professor Co-Directing Thesis G. Kurt Piehler Committee Member The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members, and certifies that the dissertation has been approved in accordance with university requirements. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis has been seven years in the making, and I am grateful for the assistance, patience, and support of many individuals. First and foremost, I thank Dr. Maxine Jones for not giving up on me after several topic changes and long periods of my absence. I would also like to thank Dr. Jennifer Koslow for agreeing to co-chair my committee, and Dr. Kurt Piehler for fulfilling my last- minute request to join my committee. Words cannot express my gratitude for their accommodation of me and my lengthy manuscript on this short deadline. I am also appreciative for the assistance of Anne Kozar and Chris Pignatiello in helping me to navigate the many deadlines and requirements for graduation. My colleagues, both past and present, have encouraged many of my thesis efforts over the years. I must thank Joan Denman and Mary Frances Turner for their guidance and support. I am also grateful to Dale Johnson, my mentor and my friend, for her advice in this and all aspects of my life. Thanks and love and love. I owe enormous gratitude to my coworkers at the History Museum of Mobile for their encouragement over the last few months. Special thanks to Lori McDuffie for holding down the Collections Department while I have been consumed in this project. I could not have completed this thesis without the intellectual, emotional, and logistical support of Dr. David Alsobrook and Scotty Kirkland. I am forever indebted to Dr. Alsobrook for giving me to the opportunity to start a new chapter in my career, and finish an old one. I am especially grateful to Scotty for loaning me his personal library and helping me obtain other sources, editing multiple drafts, and providing advice and feedback on an almost daily basis. He truly is a scholar and a friend, and he has inspired me through his example. My family and friends have also provided tremendous support in not only this project, but all of my life’s endeavors. I appreciate their understanding in my isolation from normal life during this process, and especially for listening to me talk about my paper nonstop. Thank you, Chris Green for fun conversations that had nothing to do with history. Thank you, Sarah Kershaw for always being there for me, and for talking me down from the many crises that have arisen during this process. Thank you, Melissa Hurst for continuing to hold my hand through my journeys, academic and otherwise. I appreciate you being on call day or night to solve problems, give expert advice, and provide media support for this project. At least you didn’t have to type it. My family is the foundation for all of my accomplishments, and without them, I would be lost. To my sisters, Laurel and Kerri, thank you for always making fun of me for being a history nerd, and Kaden, my favorite nephew, for loving history like me, or at least pretending to. To Jesse, iii my co-author in life, thank you for putting up with me for the last eight years, especially these last few months. I love you. Lastly, I thank my parents, Gregory and Patricia Jansen, for their unwavering encouragement, support, and interest in everything I do. More than providing logistical support, talking with me about my project, and reading every draft, they are truly the models of unconditional love and patience. I love you, and I hope that I make you proud, now and always. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures .................................................................................................................................................... vi List of Abbreviations ....................................................................................................................................... vii Abstract ............................................................................................................................................................ viii INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................... 1 1. ROSA PARKS MUSEUM ...................................................................................................................... 14 The Montgomery Bus Boycott ......................................................................................................... 14 Rosa Parks Museum History ............................................................................................................ 26 Exhibit Review.................................................................................................................................... 34 2. NATIONAL VOTING RIGHTS MUSEUM ..................................................................................... 47 The Selma to Montgomery March ................................................................................................... 47 National Voting Rights Museum History ....................................................................................... 68 Exhibit Review.................................................................................................................................... 88 3. LOWNDES COUNTY INTERPRETIVE CENTER .................................................................... 101 The Lowndes County Voting Rights Movement ........................................................................ 101 History of the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail .................................................. 118 Exhibit Review.................................................................................................................................. 136 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................................. 150 BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................................................... 155 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH ...................................................................................................................... 161 v LIST OF FIGURES 0.1 Alabama County Map ............................................................................................................................... 13 1.1 Rosa Parks Museum Exterior .................................................................................................................. 35 1.2 Museum Lobby .......................................................................................................................................... 35 1.3 Museum Theater ........................................................................................................................................ 36 1.4 Children’s Wing Exhibits ......................................................................................................................... 45 2.1 National Voting Rights Museum Exterior ............................................................................................. 89 2.2 Bloody Sunday Exhibit ............................................................................................................................. 90 2.3 Selma to Montgomery March Exhibit .................................................................................................... 92 2.4 Reconstruction Gallery ............................................................................................................................. 94 2.5 Church Gallery ........................................................................................................................................... 95 2.6 Jail Exhibit .................................................................................................................................................. 97 2.7 Bridge Crossing Jubilee Exhibit .............................................................................................................. 98 3.1 Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail ................................................................................... 119 3.2 Lowndes County Interpretive Center Exterior ................................................................................... 137 3.3 Introductory Exhibit ............................................................................................................................... 138 3.4 Lowndes County Residents Diorama ................................................................................................... 140 3.5 Selma to Montgomery Timeline Exhibit