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Why were 35 Alabama State College students arrested at the Montgomery County Courthouse?
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On February 25, 1960, 35 students from Alabama State College were arrested at the Montgomery County Courthouse after they sought service in a snack bar located in the building's basement and were rebuffed.1
This event occurred during a period of significant civic tension in Montgomery, Alabama, and served as part of the background for the landmark Supreme Court case New York Times Co. v. Sullivan. Following the arrests, the state governor demanded the students' expulsion, which subsequently led to a protest march by hundreds of students to the state capitol.1