In the 1960s, racial tension was at an all-time high. Many African Americans were doing their part in the fight for equal rights. A fight that claimed the lives of many innocent black people.

It even took the lives of four innocent little girls.

This is the story.

The 16th Street Baptist Church was organized in 1873 as the first colored Baptist church in Birmingham, Alabama.

Many civil rights protest marches took place on the steps of the 16th Street Baptist Church. It has long been a significant religious center for the Black population and was a meeting place for civil rights organizers such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

In the 1960s, Birmingham, Alabama, was one of America's most racially discriminatory and segregated cities and had one of the strongest and most violent chapters of the KKK. The city's police commissioner, Eugene "Bull" Connor, was known for his willingness to use brutality in combating radical union members, demonstrators, and any innocent black citizens. Alabama's governor, George Wallace, was the leading opponent of desegregation.

By 1963, homemade bombs being set off in black homes and churches were common occurrences that the city was given the nickname "Bombingham"

On September 15th, 1963, at 10:22 a.m., some 200 church members were in the building; most were attending Sunday school classes before the 11 a.m. service that morning.

A dynamite bomb was set off in the back stairwell, and mortar and bricks were thrown from the front of the church, caving in its walls. The violent blast ripped through the wall, killing four young African-American girls and injuring more than 20 others. 

14-year old Addie Mae Collins, 14-year-old Denise McNair, 14-year-old Carole Robertson, and 11-year-old Cynthia Wesley were in the basement of the church's ladies' restroom when they were crushed by the rubble.

Addie's sister, Sarah Collins, survived but lost her right eye.

The bombing of 16th Street Baptist Church was the third bombing in 11 days after a federal court order mandated the integration of Alabama's school system. 

Upon learning of the attack, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. sent a telegram to Alabama Governor George Wallace. He stated bluntly: "The blood of our little children is on your hands"

In the aftermath of the bombing, thousands of angry black protesters gathered at the scene of the bombing that same evening, and violence broke out across the city. Governor Wallace sent police and state troopers to break up the protesters. A handful of protesters were arrested, and two African-American youths were killed.

One at the hands of the police. And the other was murdered by a mob of white men. 

This all happened before the National Guard was called to restore order.

The death of the four girls and the brutal attack shocked the nation and drew international attention to the violent struggle for civil rights in Birmingham. 

Many whites were as outraged by the bombing as blacks and offered condolences to the families.

Over 8,000 people attended the girls' funeral services at Reverend John Porter's Sixth Avenue Baptist Church. The family of the fourth held a smaller private service. Dr. King spoke before the 8,000 people at the service. 

It was a clear act of racial hatred, -- as the church was a key civil rights meeting place and had been a frequent target of bomb threats. KKK members routinely called in bomb threats that were intended to disrupt civil rights meetings as well as services. 

In the investigation of the bombing, many of Birmingham's white supremacists and even certain individuals were immediately suspected. Repeated calls for the perpetrators to be brought to justice went unanswered for more than a decade.

It was revealed later that the FBI had information concerning the identity of the bombers in 1965 but did nothing.

The head of the FBI at the time was J. Edgar Hoover. He disapproved of the civil rights movement. It was rumored and claimed that Hoover held back evidence from prosecutors and even tried to block prosecution. He later died in 1972.

In 1977, Alabama Attorney General Bob Baxley reopened the investigation. 

Klan leader Robert E. Chambliss was brought to trial for the bombings and was convicted of murder. He died in prison in 1985, still maintaining his innocence.

Later in 1980, 1988, and 1997, the case reopened again when two other former Klan members, Thomas Blanton and Bobby Frank Cherry, were finally brought to trial. Blanton was convicted in 2001, and Cherry in 2002.

A fourth suspect, Herman Frank Cash, died in 1994 before he could be brought to trial. 

The legal system was slow to provide justice, but the effect of the bombing was immediate and significant. 

The outrage over the deaths of the four young girls helped build support for the struggle to end segregation. Support that would lead to the passage of both the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

But even so, it couldn't bring back four young lives that were lost in an act of hatred.