The Civil Rights Movement: The March On Washington

Constitutions that were man-made created societies based on hierarchy. That meaning, blacks were separated from white and rich separated from poor. How could America call itself "land of the free", when white men had more rights than others and had more freedom? Only white men could economically and socially move upward, while woman, African Americans, people with disabilities, and other races could not. This was an immobile society. The civil rights movement molded a road towards a change in society and really challenged America to redefine their core values. The civil rights movement was a struggle by African Americans in the mid-1950's to late 1960's. This movement sought to restore African Americans the rights of citizenship guaranteed

On August 28, 1963, over 200,000 Americans gathered in Washington, D.C. The March on Washington was a political rally for jobs and freedom. It was organized by a number of civil rights and religious groups. March on Washington was designed to shed light on the social and political challenges African Americans face across the country. The march, which became an important moment in the growing struggle for civil rights in the United States, culminated in Martin Luther King Jr's "I Have a Dream" speech. His speech was a spirited call for racial justice and equality. As African Americans faced continuing discrimination in the postwar years, the March on Washington group met regularly to discuss demands for economic equality. The civil rights movement of the 1960's changed the political climate, and during 1963, African American leaders began to plan a new March on Washington, designed specifically to advocate passage of the Civil Rights Act then stalled in Congress. The March on Washington was a success. All of the 200,000 African American and white Americans shared a day filled with speeches, songs, and prayers led by an array of civil rights leaders, politicians, and entertainers. March on Washington represented an affirmation of hope, belief, and of faith in the capacity of African Americans and whites to work together for racial

Rosa Parks didn't plan on making history when she left her job as a seamstress to board a bus on December 1, 1955. Rosa was exhausted and just wanted to go home. When the driver of the bus asked her to move more towards the back of the bus so that a white man could sit, she couldn't bring herself to do it. Rosa Parks stated, "I didn't get on the bus with the intention of being arrested, I got on the bus with the intention of going home." Little did she know her act would start a 381 day bus boycott. The boycott led to a U.S Supreme Court decision to outlaw segregation on city buses. The boycott also caught Martin Luther King Jr's attention. Under his leadership, the boycott set a pattern for nonviolent, community-based protests that became a successful, well thought plan in the civil rights movement. After the bus boycott ended successfully in 1956, Rosa Parks continued to work towards civil rights. On a couple of occasions she even joined Martin Luther King Jr to support him and his efforts. Rosa Parks was always humble about her position in the civil rights movement, always giving credit to a higher power and or God for her decision to not give up her