The March on Washington

During class we watched a movie called "The March." The movie was all about the March on Washington that had happened on August 28, 1963. Birmingham Alabama was the most segregated city in the United States in the 1960s. During this time period, Dr. Martin Luther King was the voice of the civil rights movement. Eugene "Bull" Connor, was the police chief of Alabama who wanted to stop Dr. King and the civil rights movement all together. More than 200,000 Americans gathered in Washington, D.C., for a political rally known as the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. It was organized by a number of civil rights and religious groups, and the event was designed to shed light on the political and social challenges African Americans continued to face across the country. The march became a key movement in the growing struggle for civil rights in the United States, culminated in Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, which was a spirited call for racial justice and equality. President John F. Kennedy and Roosevelt showed as little enthusiasm for the march, but this time the black leaders weren't dissuaded. After the speech, Presdient Kennedy invited the leaders of the march to the White House. The march was an unprecedented success. More than 200,000 black and white Americans shared a joyous day of speeches, songs, and prayers led by a celebrated array of clergymen, civil rights leaders, politicians, and entertainers. Dr. Martin Luther King’s phrase, “I Have a Dream” became an expression of the highest aspirations of the civil rights movement.