English: This is a more architectual view of the Edmond Pettus bridge which crosses the Alabama River at Selma Alabama. The traditional 'head on' view makes the graceful bridge look tall and bulky. The bridge was the scene of at least 3 attempted Freedom Marches. The first marked 'Bloody Sunday', when helpless citizens were assaulted by Alabama State Troopers using tear gas and clubs, only to be chased through Selma by Sheriff Jim Clark's mounted posse. The second marked Martin Luther King's 'turnaround' and decision not to cross. The third attempted succeed in a march to the state capital to protest voting rights directly to Governor George Wallace. The marches forced Lyndon Johnson to push the Voting Rights Act of 1965 through congress. This gave African Americans real political power and gave the prior 'Civil Rights Act' teeth. It also lost the South for the Democratic party for over a decade. It is now the prime photo opportunity for all democratic Candidates before each Democratic Primary. The bridge was opened in 1940, as the 'Best Bridge between Savanah and San Diego'. US HWY 80, then became about the only way to drive from coast to coast in the Southern United states.