March On Washington Essay

1183 Words5 Pages

The March on Washington Although some consider many other things to be the turning point of the Civil Rights Movement, like the Montgomery Bus Boycott and Brown V Board of Education. The most influential and powerful movement was the March on Washington. The March on Washington occurred in the late summer of 1963, when hundreds of thousands of people of different races came together at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., in a massive protest march on the Nation's Capital, to demand the end of segregation. Many activists and organizers attended the march, like Bill Russell and Sidney Poitier. Some of the people who spoke at the march included MLK, John Lewis, Roy Wilkins, and …show more content…

The March on Washington helped to pave the way for the ratification of the 24th amendment to the US constitution, which outlawed the poll tax, this was a tax levied on individuals as a requirement for voting, “It paved the way for the passage of the civil rights act of 1964, which desegregated public institutions and outlawed employment discrimination”(Beck). Finally, it paved the way to raise awareness of the civil rights movement. However, these changes took time to happen. It took time and more fighting, but it pressured Congress and the president to make a change. The March on Washington "serves as a reminder of the power of the democratic process and the possibilities of people when they are united and committed to a higher cause, such as civil rights"(Beck). This quotes reveals how powerful the march was by many people never forgetting it, and really showing what true united fronts can accomplish. Adding on to that it also conveys how long the process took to gain these civil rights, It did not just happen …show more content…

"March on Washington." HISTORY CRUNCH - History Articles, Biographies, Infographics, Resources and More, 15 Aug. 2016, https://www.historycrunch.com/march-on-washington.html#/. Hosken , Olivia. “How the Organizers of the 1963 March on Washington Used Celebrity to Ensure Its Success.” Town & Country, 28 Aug. 2020, https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/g33657284/1963-march-on-washington-historic-photos/. Korea, U.S. Mission. "Martin Luther King, Jr. : I Have a Dream Speech (1963)." U.S. Embassy & Consulate in the Republic of Korea, 21 Feb. 2017, https://kr.usembassy.gov/martin-luther-king-jr-dream-speech-1963/. "March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom." The Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and Education Institute, 4 Aug. 2020, https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/march-washington-jobs-and-freedom#:~:text=On%2028%20August%201963%2C%20more,civil%20rights%20bill%20in%20Congress "March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (U.S. National Park Service)." National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 4 Aug. 2020, https://www.nps.gov/articles/march-on-washington.htm. "March on Washington: History Highlights." Legal Defense Fund, 29 June 2022,