The Civil Rights March on Washington is one of the most iconic moments of the Civil Rights Movement. It was here that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his most famous speech, and the massive crowds helped show the broad support for the movement. The passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ultimately demonstrated the March on Washington's significance. Learn more about the March on Washington in 1963 and how it influenced change.
March on Washington Definition
The Civil Rights March on Washington of 1963 was officially called the "March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom." It was organized with the cooperation of Martin Luther King, Jr's Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and fellow civil rights activist A. Phillip Randolph.
Its primary purpose was to call further attention to the inequality African Americans experienced and build off of the growing popularity and awareness of the movement.
- The March on Washington was held on August 28, 1963. Over 250,000 people participated, showing off the broad support the movement had. It served as a powerful symbol of the desire for an equal society and was a turning point in the push to pass Civil Rights legislation through Congress.
Fig 1 - The crowd at the March on Washington of 1963.
March on Washington of 1963 Context
Randolph had long thought of a march on Washington to highlight inequality and exert pressure for change in the government.
Earlier Marches on Washington
He had planned one in 1941 to protest segregation in the armed forces and government jobs during World War II. Still, President Franklin D. Roosevelt persuaded him to call it off by issuing an executive order ending discrimination in hiring for all federal agencies, including the military.
In May 1957, Randolph organized another march on Washington, hoping to capitalize on the growing Civil Rights Movement and work with the NAACP. Twenty-five thousand people attended this march on the 3rd anniversary of the landmark Brown vs Board of Education Supreme Court ruling, ending legal segregation in public schools.
Planning the 1963 March on Washington
In 1963, King led the Birmingham Campaign, and the images of police officers beating, sicking police dogs on, and spraying fire hoses at peaceful protestors shocked the nation.
Meanwhile, in June of 1963, President John F. Kennedy called on Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act, prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, and national origin. However, it had not achieved enough support in Congress to pass.
King and the SCLC hoped to build on the momentum from the Birmingham Campaign with a march on Washington, and Randolph was already planning another march for jobs. The two decided to join forces, and the stage was set for arguably the most consequential action of the Civil Rights Movement.
We want a free, democratic society dedicated to the political, economic and social advancement of man along moral lines." 1
Fig 2 - Marchers at the Civil Rights March on Washington of 1963.
Civil Rights March on Washington of 1963
The March on Washington was set to be held in August 1963. Nonetheless, it faced some criticism from political leaders in Washington.
Kennedy Tries to Call off the March on Washington
Kennedy first attempted to persuade King, Randolph, and the other organizers to call off the March on Washington. He feared the event would lead to violence like that in Birmingham and further hinder the passage of the Civil Rights bill.
The organizers refused to cancel the event, although they did change the route to end at the Lincoln Memorial rather than the US Capitol.
The March Goes On
The Civil Rights March on Washington occurred on August 28, 1963. Over 250,000 people gathered around the steps and reflection pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial to hear several speakers.
Randolph was the opening speaker, and many other important Civil Rights leaders spoke, including NAACP President Roy Wilkins and John Lewis, who gave a particularly powerful speech. Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Mahalia Jackson were among those that gave musical performances.
We are tired of being beaten by policemen. We are tired of seeing our people locked up in jail over and over again. And then you holler, "Be patient." How long can we be patient? We want our freedom and we want it now. "2
Martin Luther King at the March on Washington
By far the most well-known participant and speaker at the March on Washington today is Martin Luther King, Jr. King's leadership in the Montgomery Bus Boycott and Birmingham Campaign had already made him a well-known national figure.
I Have a Dream Speech
King spoke last. He invoked crucial moments in US history and political thinking in his speech, arguing that the country had failed to live up to its promise. He called on the country to make good on its creeds of all men being created equal and ensure liberty was provided to all its citizens, including those of color.
This speech is arguably the most iconic of King's career and the Civil Rights Movement and is among the most celebrated in American history. He closed the speech by describing his dream of racial harmony in the country as a moment that would redeem the nation.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." 3
Fig 3 - Martin Luther King at the March on Washington giving his "I Have a Dream" speech.
Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream Speech"
King's speech at the March on Washington was only planned for four minutes, but he spoke for sixteen minutes.
His speech focused on a metaphor of a check written to African Americans. This check was the promise of freedom and equality, ideals of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. He stated, "America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked insufficient funds... We've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice." 4
He continued by asserting the importance of immediate action and that calls for slow, gradual reform were inadequate. He called on his supporters to remain peaceful and take the moral high ground even as they remained steadfast in their demands.
Towards the end of the speech, Mahalia Jackson, on stage with King, called out for him to tell the crowd about his dream. King then improvised the most famous part of his speech, not part of the original text. In it, he spoke of a dream where blacks and whites lived in harmony, where everyone "will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." 5
Did you know?
King was a preacher and a remarkable speaker and writer. He often used literary devices such as metaphors and visual imagery in his speeches and references to US history and Biblical scripture. Consider the use of a "check" as a metaphor, his references to US history, and the powerful imagery of that his "dream" added to the power of his words.
You can read the full text of King's "I Have a Dream" speech here. You can read the full text of King's "I Have a Dream" speech here.
March on Washington Significance
It's hard to overstate the Civil Rights March on Washington's significance. The sheer number of people that attended, ten times the number that participated in the 1957 march, revealed the massive support the Civil Rights Movement had attained.
Increased Support for the Civil Rights Movement
Especially noteworthy was the fact that there was significant diversity in the crowd, with as much as 25% of the participants white. This made it clear that the demands of the Civil Rights Movement were becoming more mainstream and supported by the country.
King's famous speech was broadcast on live television and earned the movement more support and sympathy. After the march, he and other leaders met with Kennedy and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, pressing upon them the importance of passing legislation in Congress.
Fig 4 - King and organizers at the White House after the March on Washington.
Civil Rights Legislation
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was finally passed a year later, due in part to Johnson's clever political maneuvering and connection of the law to the legacy of Kennedy–slain in an assassination a few months after the March on Washington.
However, the march impacted both Kennedy and Johnson's resolve to guide the bill through Congress while also signaling to members of Congress the growing public opinion in favor of the bill. A Democratic administration's support for the bill represented a nascent realigning of politics in the nation, and the ending of the "Solid South" as a Democratic electoral stronghold can be seen as another important significance of the March on Washington.
Long-Term Legacy of the March on Washington
The March on Washington's significance also solidified King's position as arguably the most critical and influential Civil Rights leader, making him a national figure. The fame he acquired from this speech gave momentum to further actions such as the March to Selma.
Some historians have pointed out that the focus on King, specifically the "I Have a Dream" portion of his speech, obscures some of the other goals of the march, especially regarding jobs, economic and social justice, and ending poverty.
We know that we have no future in a society in which 6 million black and white people are unemployed and millions more live in poverty. Nor is the goal of our civil rights revolution merely the passage of civil rights legislation. Yes, we want all public accommodations open to all citizens, but those accommodations will mean little to those who cannot afford to use them." 6
More radical Civil Rights activists such as Malcolm X and the leaders of the Black Panther Party criticized King's conciliatory tone. They considered the march to have been co-opted by whites and the political establishment. While the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965 did much to eliminate legal inequality and de jure discrimination, they did little to promote economic equality and de facto discrimination. These issues would be further highlighted during the Watts and Detroit riots.
de jure vs de facto discrimination
From Latin, the phrase de jure refers to what the law says, while de facto refers to the actual situation. Civil Rights legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 made it illegal to discriminate based on race, ending de jure segregation. However, de facto segregation continued in many ways through economic inequality and the unofficial divide between white and black communities.
Still, the March on Washington is significant as it represents the move toward a more inclusive country, which remains a paramount goal for the country. It did influence real gains through the legislation it helped pressure Congress to pass. For that reason, it is considered one of the milestones of the Civil Rights Movement.
March on Washington - Key takeaways
- The Civil Rights March on Washington of 1963 was planned by Martin Luther King, A. Phillip Randolph, and other Civil Rights leaders.
- The March on Washington's goals were to highlight continued injustice and put pressure on Congress for change.
- The March on Washington's significance included increased pressure to pass the Civil Rights Bill of 1964 and the growth of King as the most famous leader of the Civil Rights Movement.
References
- A. Phillip Randolph, March on Washington Speech, 1963
- John Lewis, Speech at March on Washington, 1963.
- Martin Luther King, Jr. I Have a Dream Speech, 1963.
- Martin Luther King, Jr. I Have a Dream Speech, 1963.
- Martin Luther King, Jr. I Have a Dream Speech, 1963.
- A. Phillip Randolph, March on Washington Speech, 1963
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