For a Google doc version of this lesson, click here. Overview Students will read Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech and explore themes such as the social conditions in the U.S. that led to the Civil Rights Movement, King’s philosophy and practice of peaceful resistance, the immediate impact of the March on society at the time and the long-term significance of the March. TimeOne 50-minute class period, plus extended activities BackgroundOn August 28, 1963, more than 200,000 people gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. as part of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The March sought to address the conditions under which most black Americans were living at the time and to facilitate “meaningful civil rights laws, a massive federal works program, full and fair employment, decent housing, the right to vote, and adequate integrated education.” (From the National Office of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.) It was before this gathering that the day’s most prominent speaker, civil-rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech, considered one of the landmark pieces of rhetoric in American history. The event itself was organized by a coalition of civil rights organizations, religious institutions and labor unions, including the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), the National Urban League, the National Council of Churches, and the UAW (United Auto Workers). In addition, popular artists such as Marian Anderson, Bob Dylan and Joan Baez performed for the gathering. However, various influential organizations and individuals opposed the March. Besides the expected antagonists, such as southern segregationists and members of the Ku Klux Klan, the black-separatist group Nation of Islam and its outspoken member, Malcolm X, adamantly disagreed with the rhetoric of non-violent protest. President John F. Kennedy was initially opposed to the March as well. Kennedy was concerned that the event might exacerbate already heightened racial tensions across the country and perhaps erode the public support for the civil rights movement at large. Nonetheless, the March on Washington proved to be an extraordinary success. It not only functioned as a plea for equality and justice; it also helped pave the way for both the ratification of the Twenty-fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (outlawing the poll tax, a tax levied on individuals as a requirement for voting) and the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (desegregating public institutions and outlawing employment discrimination). Procedure
Extension activityThe March on Washington has inspired a great number of subsequent protests, such as the Million Man March and the Million Mom March. As a larger activity, have your students plan a new march (either as a class or in small groups) that would appeal to correct an existing injustice in society. Questions to guide the planning may include:
By Doug DuBrin, an English/history teacher as well as an editor and writer Common Core Standards
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