The year 1963 was memorable for both the violence against Black Americans and the words and actions it inspired. In June, two Black students were blocked from registering for classes at the University of Alabama. Civil rights leaders responded with a historic protest. In August, 250,000 people gathered for the March on Washington as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. The following month, a bomb planted by the Ku Klux Klan killed four girls at a church in Alabama. The extent of racism and discrimination was finally laid bare, as public sentiment for the movement swelled and change now seemed inevitable. This detailed account explains why 1963 was such a critical year in the civil rights movement.