March on Washington
By: Ethan Shultz
Background
- Largest American civil rights movement
- Caused by racial discrimination (not treating blacks the same as whites)
- Both whites and blacks were angry about the discrimination
What happened and who spoke
- Martian Luther King Jr. ( I have a dream speech)
- 250,000 people gathered at the Lincoln memorial
- Peaceful protest on the discrimination that was happening in the country
- Speakers: John Lewis, Bayard Rustin, Roy Wilkins, Whitney Young
I have a dream speech
- By Martain Luther King Jr.
- Addressed: Gettysburg Address, Emancipation Proclamation, and the Deceleration of Independence
- Talks about his experiences and what he hopes to happen
- "I have a dream" was repeated multiple times and said when he mentioned that he dreams that his boys will be judged on the content of their character and not on the color of their skin
- Wanted to make sure everyone in the crowd knew that blacks were the same as whites and that everyone should be treated equally
Bet You Didn't Know: March on Washington | History
Effects
- President Kennedy tried to pass a bill to protect the rights of all citizens
- The bill was rejected by southern segregationist lawmakers
- Kennedy was assassinated a couple of months later
- The next president Lyndon Johnson signed the "Civil rights act of 1964" that protected the rights of all citizens