Black History Month: March on Washington
The March on Washington - August 28, 1963
The March on Washington
The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, or known simply as The March on Washington, was held in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1963. The purpose of the march was to advocate for the civil and economic rights of African Americans. 250,000 people gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial, and was the occasion of Martin Luther King Jr.'s iconic "I Have a Dream" speech.
You can hear an audio recording of Martin Luther King Jr giving his speech at the Internet Archive.
Books in our SORA Collection
Here are the books about or mentioning the March on Washington in our Monroe One SORA account:
- Voices from the March on Washington by J. Patrick Lewis and Gorge Ella Lyon
From the woman singing through a terrifying bus ride to DC, to the teenager who came partly because his father told him, "Don't you dare go to that march," to the young child riding above the crowd on her father's shoulders, each voice brings a unique perspective to this tale. As the characters tell their personal stories of this historic day, their chorus plunges readers into the experience of being at the march--walking shoulder-to-shoulder with strangers, hearing Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous speech, heading home inspired. - Child of the Dream: A Memoir of 1963 by Sharon Robinson
An incredible memoir from Sharon Robinson about one of the most important years of the civil rights movement. - Because of You, John Lewis by Andrea Davis Pinkney (Second Copy)
- When young Tybre Faw discovers John Lewis and his heroic march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in the fight for voting rights, Tybre is determined to meet him. Tybre's two grandmothers take him on the seven-hour drive to Selma, Alabama, where Lewis invites Tybre to join him in the annual memorial walk across the Bridge. And so begins a most amazing friendship! In rich, poetic language, Andrea Davis Pinkney waves the true story of a boy with a dream together with the story of a real-life hero (who himself had a life-altering friendship with Martin Luther King Jr. when he was young!). Keith Henry Brown's deeply affecting paintings bring this inspiring bond between a young activist and an elder congressman vividly to life. Who will be next to rise up and turn the page on history?
Multimedia Resources
The Civil Rights Movement: The March on Washington
Grades 5-Adult
In 1963, a quarter of a million participants - some say even more - converged on the mall in Washington D.C. Their objective was to galvanize support for Civil Rights legislation and send a strong message to representatives in Congress. President Kennedy was shot and killed a few months later, leaving President Johnson to dealing with civil rights issues.Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Movement: No Easy Walk 1961-1963
Grades 6 to Adult
As the civil rights movement discovered the power of mass demonstrations, whites in the South did their best to defend segregation. As the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) organized protests in Albany, Georgia, the police chief worked hard to minimize confrontation with protesters. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) began organizing in Birmingham, Alabama.Just Passin' Through
Grades 7-12
''Just Passin' Through'' is a historical drama that explores complex problems of race and class in America. Set during the Civil Rights Movement, the story deals with the emotional themes of racial identity and family loyalty and, in a broader sense, multi-cultural and minority issues. Against the backdrop of the 1963 March on Washington, Preston, a light-skinned black man ''passing'' as white and working as a successful attorney in Washington, is forced to reexamine his past by his brother Cecil, an activist in the Civil Rights Movement. Cecil threatens to expose Preston's ''true'' identity to his pregnant white wife, whose father is a bigoted southern congressman who denounces the Civil Rights Movement as a communist plot. Ultimately, Preston renounces his original identity and rejects his mother's pleas to embrace Kimberly, the black daughter Preston abandoned years before. Preston denies he is Kimberly's father and chooses the material comforts offered to him as a rich white attorney over supporting his biological family.
Civil Rights
Grades 5-12
The latter-half of the 20th century saw many of the nation's minority groups taking a stand to ensure that the declaration ''all men are created equal'' became not just an oft-quoted sentiment but a firm reality. Beginning with the valiant efforts of those involved in the African-American Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, students will learn how the push for equality in American society crossed over to other ethnic groups, women and the disabled. This vivid program covers major figures, events and legislation of the day through the use of archival footage and interviews with renowned experts, all of which provide a detailed account of the movements that pushed America closer to its pledge of ''one nation, with liberty and justice for all.'' Part of the United States History Video Collection, a comprehensive series that supplements textbooks for the entire American history curriculum. Includes a Teacher's Guide.Demonstrators Travel to the March on Washington (1963) (Learn 360)
Grades 9-12
The 1963 March on Washington was one of the largest civil rights demonstrations in the history of the United States. The demonstration was organized by A. Phillip Randolph, and brought together scores of civil rights groups, unions, and celebrities in demand of higher wages, desegregation, and federal civil rights legislation. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech during the march to a crowd of more than 250,000 people. Copyright The WPA Film Library.Almanac: March on Washington (Learn 360)
Grades 6-12
1963 events in history highlighted are March on Washington.The March on Washington: A Virtual Tour (Learn 360)
Grades 7-Adult
In this video from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, historian Clayborne Carson discusses his presence at the 1963 March on Washington. Carson was 19 years old at the time, and just as the March was a pivotal event in American history, it was also the event that shaped Carson's future life and career. As seen on YouTube.