March On Washington Research Paper

An important consequence of the Birmingham Campaign was the March on Washington for jobs and freedom. The March on Washington was a protest that took place August 28th, 1963, where about 250,000 people gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. During the march, Martin Luther King Jr gave his famous ‘I Have a Dream’ speech. In the speech, he stated he and others had come to the memorial because “the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination... he is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land.” Other influential African American leaders spoke, including members of the NAACP and the SNCC. Philip Randolph, an

When President John F Kennedy was assassinated, the following President, Lyndon B Johnson took the case of the Civil Rights act into his own hands,“Let this session of Congress be known as the session which did more for Civil Rights than the last hundred sessions combined,” Johnson said during his first state of union address on the issue. The Senate voted 73-27 on the bill, and despite the strong opposition from southern members, the Civil Rights Legislation was passed into law. The Civil Rights Act stated that “all persons shall be entitled to the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, and privileges, advantages, and accommodations of any place of public accommodation, as defined in this section, without discrimination or segregation on the ground of race, color, religion, or national origin.” The act also prohibited race, religion, and gender discrimination by employers and created an Equal Employment Opportunity Commision. The Civil Rights Act was a very important consequence because it lead to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which banned discriminatory voting practices, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968, which prohibited discrimination in the sale and financing of

On April 4th, 1968 Martin Luther King Jr was shot by white segregationist James Earl Ray who was later sentenced to life imprisonment. The previous day Martin had given his ‘I’ve been to the mountaintop’ speech at the Mason Temple. In the speech he addressed the constant threats to his life, “Well, I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn't matter with me now, because I’ve been to the mountaintop. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now… I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man! Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!” After the news of King’s death, president Lyndon B Johnson designated April 7th as a national day of mourning for Martin Luther King Jr. Stokely Carmichael, an organiser in the Civil Rights Movement, told African Americans to get their guns because, “When White America killed Dr. King, she declared war on us.” Riots broke out in more than 20 cities, and Johnson was forced to send out 20,000 troops and 20,000 guardsmen to repress them. After the riots were over, 39 people had been killed, 3000 had been injured and thousands had been arrested. More than 100,000 people attended King’s funeral. The death of Martin Luther King Jr was an important consequence of the Birmingham Campaign as the event divided