Civil Rights Protests: The March On Washington

One hundred years after the Emancipation Proclamation was written, African Americans were still fighting for equal rights in every day life. The first real success of this movement did not come until the Brown vs. Board of Education decision in 1954 which was followed by many boycotts and protests. The largest of these protests, the March on Washington, was held on August 28, 1963 “for jobs and freedom” (March on Washington 11). An incredible amount of preparation went into the event to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of people attending from around the nation and to deal with any potential incidents.

Social movements are one of the primary means through which the public is able to collectively express their concerns about the rights and wellbeing of themselves and others. Under the proper conditions, social movements not only shed light on issues and open large scale public discourse, but they can also serve as a means of eliciting expedited societal change and progress. Due to their potential impact, studying the characteristics of both failed and successful social movements is important in order to ensure that issues between the public and the government are resolved to limit injustices and maintain societal progress.

Throughout the 1950s and the 1960s, civil rights activists started protesting for change. In the US and Australia there were many significant protests undertaken by different groups of brave individuals all to invoke change. Some of the most influential protests were the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the American and Australian Freedom Rides. These protests mainly used the tactic of non-violent protests however, they also used boycotts and demonstrations. These protests brought great change to the way that the African Americans were treated in the US and the Indigenous people in Australia, because it forced the public to acknowledge the hardships that they had to face from segregation.

I think the March on Washington impacted in history. The people of young and old, African American and American all came together to make a point. They wanted the African Americans to have equality. They didn't want to have everyone separate for bathrooms, buses, schools, water fountains an much more! They all wanted to have one country that stays together and not apart from one another.

Around the 1950s, there was a large struggle for African Americans to vote. The main issues were barriers to voting. Alabama was one example of severe obstacles for voting. Literacy tests were mandatory for being allowed to vote and often led to discrimination as test proctors would give harder questions to those they disfavored. Poll taxes meant lower income citizens could not vote. Black Americans often lived far away from voting centers so restrictions were placed on transportation so they could not have a chance of voting. These conditions led to a small minority of African Americans that could actually vote. Demonstrations began by two groups of civil right advocates, Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and Student Nonviolent

Should Freedom be given or must be demanded? Freedom should be demanded because freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demand by the oppressor, quoted by Martin Luther King Jr. The Emancipation Proclamation stated that Africans Americans are free but we were “never” free. Also, The March on Washington was an important event that had made a change in our lives and our freedom. The Declaration of Independence was a statement that announced that the thirteen colonies are not under British rules. In my opinion, we should not have to fight for our freedom and we should all be equal.

In 1965, people has sunk back into complacency with the relatively few gains they had achieved in the civil rights movement. A new development also appeared in the form of President Lyndon Johnson's voting-rights act but before this would happen the greatest race riot of that time exploded in Watts, Los Angeles. The riot was a culmination of racial tension and anger that came with the lower class black experience. The riot paved the way for more separatism in American society; notions of racial unity had been drowned out. Another similar explosion of black outrage happened in West Chicago and also then followed in other major cities like Boston, Cincinnati, Buffalo, Newark, Detroit etc. Massive property damage and numerous black lives were

Commencing in the late 19th century, state level governments approved segregation acts, identified as the Jim Crow laws, and assigned limitations on voting requirements that caused the African American population economically and diplomatically helpless (Davis, n.d.). The civil rights movement commenced, intensely and assertively, in the early 1940s when the societal composition of black America took an increasingly urban, popular appeal (Korstad & Lichtenstein, 1988). The 1950s and 1960s was well known for racial conflicts and civil rights protests. The civil rights movement in the United States during the late 1950s and 1960s was based on political and social strives to achieve

The March on Washington was powerful, yet more peaceful than others and orderly beyond anyone's expectations. (“In the Beginning there was a March.”) This was the cause of its success. Half a million people participated in the march. The march played a significant role and was important to the Civil Rights Movement.

The fight for freedom was not an easy one for blacks. Years of racial bigotry programmed in society’s mind was the biggest hurdle for blacks in the US. You can change legislation but not the minds and behaviors of people. This made it imperative that black initiate different strategies to achieve the goal of being treated like a human being and having the same inalienable rights given to everyone else. They demonstrated peacefully and they demonstrated in ways that became violent. In the end, they got the attention they needed to begin change. Their fight not only gave rights to blacks but to all people.

I was asked to write on The March On Washington and my opinion on it so I am. The March on Washington was a protest against black rights also a march to the Lincoln Memorial where there Martin Luther King Jr gave his famous speech ''I Have a Dream'' speech. It was a speech of ''hope and determination''. I think the March On Washington was really cool because It was what made black equal to the white.

The first Million Man March took place in August of 1963. It happened at the Washington Mall in Washington D.C. There were around 250,000 men there and around one fourth of them were white men. This event was one of the largest civil rights movements.”Million Man March was one of the most historical organizing events in history of black people in the United States”, said Dr. Conrad. It made life much better for a lot of people in the United States. People came from all around the world just to be apart of this very important event. It was a very large step for African Americans in America.

Considering the history of America, there have been quite a few drastic changes – both good and bad – in the past two centuries, especially for African Americans. From slavery, to unequal rights, there have been several events in history that has created a form of unity for blacks and whites. From those events led by Black Activist and protesters who felt that enough was enough and that it was time to bring about a change birthed the Civil Rights Movement. Although this was not the first movement, it was definitely one that made a lasing impact. Even more specifically the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

The American Civil Rights Movement is personified through several prominent personalities. These figures exhibited strong character throughout their careers in activism that revolutionized the ideals and opportunities of the 20th century, standing as precedents for courage and perseverance in the face of widespread systemic oppression. However, not all of these figures received the acknowledgment and acceptance that their legacy deserved. One such figure was Bayard Rustin, a lifelong Civil Rights activist in the African American and LGBTQ communities whose experiences exemplified the hardships faced by American minorities. His career was defined by perpetual conflict and confrontation as both sides of the Civil Rights Movement attempted to demonize and discredit him. Despite this obstacle, Bayard Rustin’s controversial decision-making and sheer tenacity made him an influential force in the ongoing fight for equality in the United States of America.

On February 11, 2017, there was a large crowd that marched on the streets in Raleigh, North Carolina. This annual “Historic Thousands on Jone’s St (HKonJ) civil rights march was the act of opposition towards the POTUS Donald Trump as well to the NC state law that is limiting LGBT rights.