Explore America and discover the people, places, art, and history that connect to Alabama in the Smithsonian’s collections, held in trust for the American people. The collections include items celebrating native Alabamians, from athletes such as Olympic gold medalist in track and field Jesse Owens, Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, and baseball star Willie Mays, to writers such as Helen Keller and Truman Capote.
Alabama played a major role in the Civil Rights Movement as a key battleground in the South. Freedom Riders braved violent mobs as they travelled from Anniston to Birmingham. Claudette Colvin and Rosa Parks inspired the Montgomery Bus Boycott when they were arrested for challenging segregationist seating policies. Civil Rights activists John Lewis and Ralph Abernathy participated in the Selma to Montgomery march where peaceful protesters were viciously attacked by state police on the Edmund Pettus Bridge.
Huntsville, Alabama, also known as “Rocket City,” is home to the Marshall Space Flight Center where parts for the Saturn V launch vehicles were developed. Tuskegee University, a historically Black university founded by Booker T. Washington, is known for matriculating many influential African Americans, including the first Black pilots to fly for the U.S. military, the Tuskegee Airmen.
Cultural traditions such as quilting and storytelling have long been important practices in connecting generations in Alabama. The Yellowhammer state has also made significant contributions to gospel, ragtime, jazz, and country music, producing legends Nat King Cole, Emmylou Harris, and Hank Williams. The state is also home to one of the most decorated collegiate football programs: the Crimson Tide of the University of Alabama.