American History
March on Washington
Where: District of Columbia (Brinkley 768)
When: August 28, 1963 (Williams 325)
What For: political rally - for jobs and for freedoms - as part of the civil rights movement (history.com)
Who were Involved:
- 200,000 American citizens (history.com)
- Prominent leaders/ speakers/ artizans who advocated their cause
Resulted In:
- The Civil Rights Bill of 1964
Quick Facts:
The 60s were a wild time. The decade became know for the new ways Americans were expressing freedoms. Peter Jennings in his book The Century confirmed that the sixties "glorified youth and freedom" (Jennings 370). The nation's new prosperity was demonstrated through new opportunities. For example: "A college education had become a proud by-product of the nation's overwhelming prosperity" (Jennings 370). However, not all Americans felt the full blessing of American freedoms following the wars. African Americans, already assured of their equality, suffered cruel segregation within their own comunities. The 1960s Civil Rights Movement blossomed from the stark contrast of the classic 60s American prosperity versus the freedom depravation of distinct ethnicites.
Intro: The 60s
Many Americans were fed up with racism. Rallies, speeches, and demonstrations became the norm for addressing issues of the Civil Rights Movement. Just 10 weeks after the Birmingham crisis, 758 demonstrations were performed across the South (Layman 204). The March on Washington was a defining element of the Civil Rights Movement and of the 1960s itself. Juan Williams remarked that the march was "the largest demonstration for human rights that the country had ever seen" (Williams 325).
Intro: The March on Washington
Following their victory in Birmingham, civil rights leaders gathered in anticipation for the greatest of all civil rights demonstrations (Layman 204). These leaders hoped to convince Congress to pass President Kennedy's civil rights proposals (Layman 204). Through Kennedy's proposals, a new era for African Americans would dawn. To do this, these leaders would rally supporters and march on Washington. Juan Williams sums up the hope these leaders possess for this march by saying,
"The goals of the march would be to call attention to the need for passage of Kennedy's civil rights bill; job training and
placement for African'Americans and an end to job segregation; and integration of the nation's schools by the end of the year"
(Williams 325).
See the image belowis a flier that outlined the procedings of the march and whom of the leaders would be speaking. As I am sure you may know, most notable of these speakers is Martin Luther King Jr.
The Birth of a Defining Moment in History
More than 200,000 demonstrators arrived in Washington D.C. for the march on August 28, 1963 (Williams 325). Fascinatingly nearly one fourth of them were white (Williams 325). Gathering before the Lincoln Memorial after marching in down the Mall of Washington, D.C., the people expectantly awaited the first orator to step to the podium (Binkley 768).
The rally commenced and each speaker took his turn to wow the crowd and inspire them towards their cause. Then, the final speaker of the day blew the people away. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous speach "I Have a Dream" (Williams 325). See video to the right to listen to Luther's speach.
The March
No violence, just a group of Americans gathered under common cause to promote the right on which America was built: FREEDOM. This is what the March on Washington was aiming for, and this is what it accomplished. To the demonstrators already there was no segregation. Whites and blacks had rallied together for one motive (Williams 325). Hope in a progressing nation was restored (Williams 325). President Kennedy was urged to take action as desired (Layman 205). After Kennedy's assassination, President Lyndom B. Johnson redoubled the efforts to pass Kennedy's policies. The Civil Rights Bill of 1964 was passed by the House of Representatives in Febuary of 1964 but was fought by the Senate. It was not until June 10 that it passed the Senate. It was finally instituted on July 2, 1964 by Johnson (Layman 205). As Layman summarizes,
"[it] outlawed racial descrimination in public accommodations...gave the Justice Department additional powers in dealing with
segregation of schools...strengthened the investigatory authority of the Civil Rights Commission, and allowed the federal
government to cut off federal funding of any other level of government that was discriminatory" (Layman 205).
The integration of these policies into everyday society happened gradually and blacks were finally treated as equals in most aspects of American culture. I believe the March on Washington had a snowball effect that instituted more equal treatment to all peoples across the boards. As for blacks, look how far they have come: President Obama has been a dream come true for promoting equal treatment and opportunity for colored people. God bless America.
Information Works Cited
Brinkley, Alan. The Unfinished Nation: A Concise History of the American People. 6th ed. Vol. 1. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2010. 768. Print.
Garrow, David. "March on Washington." American Decades: 1960-1969. Ed. Richard Layman. Detroit: Gale Research, 1995. 434. Print.
Jennings, Peter, and Todd Brewster. The Century. New York: Doubleday, 1998. Print.
Layman, Richard, ed. "The March on Washington." American Decades: 1960-1969. Detroit: Gale Research, 1995. 204-05. Print.
Williams, Juan. "The March on Washington." American Decades: 1960-1969. Ed. Richard Layman. Detroit: Gale Research, 1995. 325. Print.
Information Works Cited
Picture Works Cited
"50th Anniversary of MLK's March on Washington - REDF." REDF. N.p., 27 Aug. 2013. Web. 22 Apr. 2016. <http://redf.org/50th-anniversary-of-mlks-march-on-washington/>.
"The Great Debate." The Great Debate RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2016. <http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/tag/march-on-washington/>.
"Image." Image. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2016. <http://xroads.virginia.edu/~public/civilrights/0165.html>.
"Official Program for the March on Washington (1963)." N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2016. <https://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?doc=96>.