“The revolution is at hand, and we must free ourselves of the chains of political and economic slavery. Lewis represented the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, a younger, more radical group than King's. The two most noteworthy speeches came from John Lewis and Martin Luther King, Jr. The march was also condemned by some civil rights activists, including Malcolm X, who felt it presented an inaccurate, sanitized pageant of racial harmony. Once it became clear that the march would go on, however, he supported it. President Kennedy originally discouraged the march, for fear that it might make the legislature vote against civil rights laws in reaction to a perceived threat. The stated demands of the march were the passage of meaningful civil rights legislation the elimination of racial segregation in public schools protection for demonstrators against police brutality a major public-works program to provide jobs the passage of a law prohibiting racial discrimination in public and private hiring a $2 an hour minimum wage and self-government for the District of Columbia, which had a Black majority. The March on Washington represented a coalition of several civil rights organizations, all of which generally had different approaches and different agendas. President Kennedy backed a Civil Rights Act, which was stalled in Congress by the summer.Ī view of the rally from the Reflecting Pool by Nat Herz Dozens of additional demonstrations took place across the country, from California to New York, culminating in the March on Washington. Martin Luther King, Jr., was arrested and jailed during these protests, writing his famous "Letter From Birmingham City Jail," which advocates civil disobedience against unjust laws. Nationwide outrage was sparked by media coverage of police actions in Birmingham, Alabama, where attack dogs and fire hoses were turned against protestors, many of whom were in their early teens or younger. Attended by some 250,000 people, it was the largest demonstration ever seen in the nation's capital, and one of the first to have extensive television coverage.ġ963 was noted for racial unrest and civil rights demonstrations. The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom took place in Washington, D.C., on August 28, 1963. Martin Luther King, Jr., Giving the “I Have a Dream” Speech. March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom August 28, 1963
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