Incorporated in 1819, Montgomery was named for General Richard Montgomery, who died in the American Revolutionary War attempting to capture Quebec, Canada. Montgomery was made the capital of Alabama on the fourth try. The territorial capital, St. Stephens on the Tombigbee River, had been supplanted by Huntsville then Cahawba and Tuscaloosa [1]. It was the first capital of the Confederate States of America, whose president Jefferson Davis was inaugurated on its steps. It is located on the north portion of the Alabama River.

Rev. Dr. Martin L. King Jr. gained national attention for civil rights issues during his tenure, 1954/1960, as pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, two blocks from the State Capitol Building. A civil rights memorial has been erected near the still-active church. On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks became a civil rights heroine in the city by refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man. The reaction to this arrest led to the 382-day Montgomery Bus Boycott which forced the city to desegregate its transit system on December 21, 1956. In 1965, Dr. King's nationally-publicized march for justice was conducted from Selma to Montgomery.

Country music pioneer and legend Hank Williams lived part of his life, and is buried in Montgomery. Country star Alan Jackson eulogizes Williams in a popular song, called Midnight In Montgomery, about a trip to Hank's gravesite.