Randolph called off the march, but five years later, Congress stopped funding the enforcement group, and many companies went back to discriminating against Black people. By the s, many Black people were still unemployed or had low-paying jobs, and much of the country was still segregated by race. Civil rights leaders, including King of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and John Lewis of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee , joined with Randolph to organize another change-making demonstration: the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, the official name of the march.
The goal of the march was to urge President John F. Kennedy to pass a civil rights bill that would end segregation in public places like schools, ensure easier access to voting, train and place unemployed workers, and end the practice of not hiring people because of their race. The March on Washington was scheduled on the hundredth anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation.
The day of the march was sunny and hot. Marchers arrived at the National Mall on buses and greeted each other with handshakes and hugs. Then they began their peaceful one-mile walk from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial. The organizers estimated that perhaps , people would attend, but that day about , Black people and 60, white people came to the demonstration. Not a patch of grass could be seen as the marchers squeezed together to hear the speeches in front of the Lincoln Memorial.
For three hours, they heard inspiring messages from the civil rights leaders about keeping up hope in the fight for equality and a better life. King spoke last. One hundred years after emancipation, Black Americans, he said, were still not free. He said the marchers were there to fulfill the promise of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence , which guarantees all citizens the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Johnson to demand support for a national civil rights bill. But their efforts were not in vain. The Kennedy administration was forced to take a stand on civil rights, which was the intent of the Freedom Rides in the first place. Also, the Interstate Commerce Commission, at the request of Attorney General Robert Kennedy, outlawed segregation in interstate bus travel.
These and other civil rights demonstrations moved President John F. Kennedy to send to Congress a civil rights bill on June 19, The proposed legislation offered federal protection to African Americans seeking to vote, to shop, to eat out, and to be educated on equal terms. The hope was to enlist a hundred thousand people to come to Washington, D.
The march was planned to take place on August 28, and Bayard Rustin was named chief coordinator of the March. It will be proud, but not arrogant. It will be nonviolent, but not timid. It will be unified in purposes and behavior, not splintered into groups and individual competitors….
Those who discounted the appeal of the march were astounded to discover that it received broad support from many sectors of American life. Local religious, labor and civic organizations joined the major civil rights groups in planning, publicizing the march and recruiting participants. Active promotion of the march resulted in approximately Cincinnati area residents paying their own fare for a two-night round trip to Washington, DC on a chartered train.
Because of long lines on the train, a number of Cincinnatians chose to freshen up in the public rest rooms at Union Station. The rest room experience proved to be a very good omen for one of the marchers.
Participants carried a variety of signs and joined in singing civil rights songs and hymns. At the Washington Monument, a stage had been set up and famous singers and Hollywood stars entertained the crowd waiting to march to the Lincoln Memorial and the start of the formal program.
The Lincoln Memorial Program. The formal program started from a platform in front of the Lincoln Memorial at p. Marian Anderson was delayed and not able to open the program singing The National Anthem. After the invocation, March Director, A. Philip Randolph, addressed the crowd. After remarks by Dr. Herbert Lee widow of the slain Mississippi activist , as well as citing Myrlie Evers, widow of Medgar Evers, the assassinated civil rights leader. King was the last speaker and delivered an eloquent articulation of the American dream and his hope that it would be fully realized.
March on Washington, D. Good afternoon Mr. Hansan me and a few of my co-workers were reading the information on socialwelfarehistory. And had a question. Did a large number of the people who Marched on Washington from different states did they take up residence in D. If so, how many? Aside from its historic significance, the Lincoln Memorial is an easily accessed public space , sitting at the west end of the National Mall. The Mall is a huge, grassy area lined by museums and government buildings.
The Capitol, where Congress meets, anchors the east end of the Mall. The Lincoln Memorial itself stands on a fairly steep series of steps, allowing speakers and performers to look out over the expanse of the Mall. In , the Lincoln Memorial had been the site of the largest gathering on the National Mall prior to the March on Washington—a free concert by operatic soprano Marian Anderson. Consider the First Amendment when answering the next two questions, about the right to petition the government and the right to peaceably assemble freedom of assembly.
Freedom of assembly : Freedom of assembly is often associated with the concept of public space. Are there public spaces where members of your community are able to peaceably assemble? What are some reasons people may gather in a public space? Answers will vary!
Public spaces are generally defined as places that are open to people without a fee or authorization. Public parks, beaches, and city squares or plazas are some familiar public spaces.
People may gather in public spaces for a wide variety of reasons: political or social protest as the March on Washington , artistic opportunities such as concerts, or recreational opportunities , including athletics or historical re-enactments. Constitution prohibiting government from interfering with freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and freedom to petition the government.
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom demonstration supporting economic and civil rights for all Americans, held on the National Mall in Washington, D.
Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D. More than , people from all over the country gathered on the National Mall , between the Washington and Lincoln Memorials, to demand civil rights and economic equality for all Americans.
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