What lead up to this event?
With sit-ins and the freedom ride slowly making an impact after the outbreak of violence, This protest in washington pushed congress to pass the civil rights act of 1964. tension and racial unrest has been building up over the past year. the civil rights legislation was pending in congress,which meant that it was the perfect time for “mass destruction”. Instead of violence, 200,000 protesters used peace to fight for equality
When and where did this happen?
august 28th, 1963 in Washington D.C.
what was the goal of this event?
Known for marching for jobs and freedom, the event was to stand up to the social and political injustices the african americans had to face 100 years after emancipation
Who was involved and who were the most important people.
Initially this march included the leaders of the "Big Six"civil rights organizations. these people included James Farmer, John Lewis, A. Philip Randolph, Roy Wilkins, Whitney Young, and reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. Not only were there speakers but appearances by famous people and performers. the March on Washington featured speeches and performances from John Lewis, Josephine Baker, Mahalia Jackson, Joan Baez and Bob Dylan. Bayard Rustin was named chief coordinator of the March. The main speaker that is most remembered and made the biggest impact was Martin Luther King Jr. MLK Jr. gave the famous “I Have A Dream” speech is about how racial equality is necessary for people to live peacefully, and racism negatively affects the lives of African-Americans.
WHAT OBSTACLES WERE THERE AND HOW WERE THEY OVERCOME?
The Main obstacle that african American protesters were facing was the hate from the white population. Also, keeping the protest peaceful as violence could break out at any point. This protest was had the most impact for the African American population because it pushed the Civil Rights act to be passed. Also, Consisted of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous “I Have a Dream’ speech. This protest was televised for everyone to see and had an amazing outcome.
what was the outcome of this event and how does it impact today?
The biggest impact would have to be the pass of the civil rights act . without this protest i believe that equality for african americans would either have happened a lot slower or maybe not at all. This protest has impacted the U.S. today and has made us to accept all races and cultures because they are equal.
HOW DOES THIS EVENT RELATE TO TODAY?
This event relates to the Women’s march on Washington to protest the inequality between men and women. This large protest consisted of famous icons and known feminist supporters. The main reasons for this event were the wage gap between men and women, unpaid maternity leave, and the proposed non-funding of planned parenthood, and organization that helps women that can’t afford birth control or have unplanned pregnancies. This large scale protest not only happened in Washington but in many large cities all over the U.S. Even the wise words of Martin Luther King, Jr. were brought up at this march
pictured: Protesters standing up for women's rights
Citations
Washington, B. (2017). March on Washington - Black History - HISTORY.com. HISTORY.com. Retrieved 26 April 2017, from http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/march-on-washington?scrlybrkr=49546769#
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. (2017). En.wikipedia.org. Retrieved 26 April 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_on_Washington_for_Jobs_and_Freedom?scrlybrkr=7d47952c#Speakers
Alcindor, A. (2017). Women’s March Highlights as Huge Crowds Protest Trump: ‘We’re Not Going Away’. Nytimes.com. Retrieved 26 April 2017, from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/21/us/womens-march.html?_r=0
(2017). School.eb.com.proxy.elm4you.org. Retrieved 26 April 2017, from http://school.eb.com.proxy.elm4you.org/levels/high/article/March-on-Washington/471029