Final answer:
Black churches were targeted and bombed by segregationists in 1957 because they were central to the Civil Rights Movement, serving as meeting places, providing services to the black community, and as centers for strategizing against Jim Crow laws.
Step-by-step explanation:
In 1957, several black churches were bombed by segregationists due to their pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement. These churches served as meeting places for African American communities, bases for civil rights leaders, and headquarters for planning political strategies against Jim Crow laws. They provided essential services and a sense of autonomy, often becoming the target of violence by those who sought to intimidate the black community and maintain the status quo of racial segregation. The bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, which resulted in the death of four young girls, is a notorious example. This act of terrorism was intended to sow fear and disrupt the efforts of the black community towards gaining civil rights and challenging systemic oppression.