The March on Washington Non-fiction Reading Center
Directions:
Researchers often read secondary sources to gain some insight into various aspects of the time period or documents they are studying. Below are some questions to consider as you are working in this center.
1. Pick one reading to examine closely.
2. Read the piece 2 times if time permits.
3. Study the text features (headings, pictures, captions, text boxes). How do these help you better understand what you are reading?
3. Ask yourself:
4, Respond in your notebook, answering one of the questions above.
1. Pick one reading to examine closely.
2. Read the piece 2 times if time permits.
3. Study the text features (headings, pictures, captions, text boxes). How do these help you better understand what you are reading?
3. Ask yourself:
- What are the main ideas and supporting details?
- What does this piece teach us about the time period?
- Why do you think the author wrote this piece?
4, Respond in your notebook, answering one of the questions above.
Article: The March that Made History, Cobblestone Magazine |
A shocked nation watched the scenes on their television screens on May 3, 1963. Viewers saw police using dogs and fire hoses to prevent African American children -- between 6 and 18 years old -- from demonstrating in Birmingham, Alabama. The dogs attacked and bit the protestors. The force of the water from the hoses knocked them down and pushed them along the street. Watching the scenes from the White House, President John F. Kennedy was disgusted. In mid-June, Kennedy proposed a new law banning segregation in jobs and schools. Finally, the federal government was taking a stand for civil rights.
For A. Philip Randolph (see page 6), it was the opportunity he had been waiting for. He had wanted to organize a large public march on the nation's capital for years. Now, he hoped such an event would persuade Congress to pass the president's bill. Some civil rights leaders feared that a large demonstration might anger people and make it harder to achieve their goals. But the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (see page 20), agreed with Randolph. In the end, the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom brought together almost every major civil rights organization. At the first planning meeting on July 2, the leaders chose August 28 as the date for their march, before the end of summer. They picked a Wednesday, the middle of the week, to limit the amount of time that crowds of people would be in the capital. Participants would have to return home to get to work the following day. (To ease traffic, many government offices and businesses in the capital were closed on August 28.) Each of the leading organizations loaned some people to help staff the march's headquarters in New York. Bayard Rustin (see page 12) oversaw it all, using hundreds of 3x5 cards to keep track of details. The planners agreed that the march had to be dignified, orderly, and, above all, peaceful. Rustin believed that people would remain peaceful if they had clear directions, enough food and water, places to rest, and access to medical aid. Rustin also believed that unarmed, trained marshals would be more effective and safer than armed police. An armed police and military force agreed to stay beyond the march area to guard against violence aimed at the participants. Since the organizers wanted to focus on the proposed federal civil rights law, they asked marchers to carry only official signs, plus banners identifying their groups. No one was sure how many people would come. Rustin and Randolph announced that they expected 100,000 marchers. Privately, they hoped for double that number. By mid-August, excitement was building around the country. Letters began pouring into the New York office. Some sent money. Others sent information, saying, "Our group is bringing two busloads." Famous black performers such as Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte, Marian Anderson, and Mahalia Jackson announced they would attend. Many members of Congress indicated that they would be there. On August 28, people streamed into Washington, D.C., from all around the country. They came from southern farms and northern cities. They rode all night on chartered buses arranged by churches and unions, or they came on special trains. Movie stars hired an airplane from California. A group walked 237 miles from New York. One man rode his bicycle from Ohio. Most of the men wore suits, while the women had on their best dresses. Everyone wore comfortable shoes. By mid-morning, there were 100,000 people near the starting point, the Washington Monument. And the roads were still clogged with incoming buses and cars. A number of performers entertained and inspired the participants as they swelled around the monument. As it became more crowded, one group of union workers began to move toward the Lincoln Memorial, the march's endpoint. Other people followed, starting the march earlier than Rustin had planned. When the leaders arrived, they had to push through the sea of people to get to the head of the crowd! Speakers and performers took turns addressing the assembled crowd. Several women leaders were introduced from the platform (see page 15), but they were not given a chance to speak. In the end, at least 250,000 participants gathered on the National Mall. Millions of people watched themarch on live television. Millions more listened to it by radio. The organizers had described their hopes for the event as a "living petition." It was a sight to see: Marchers from every part of the country, every race, and many religions joined together for one purpose -- a peaceful show of support in the largest demonstration of the civil rights movement in the nation's history. A quarter of a million people filled the space around the base of the Lincoln Memorial and extended past the Reflecting Pool to the Washington Monument almost a mile away. Participants were asked to assemble at the Washington Monument by TO A.M. The march itself was scheduled to start at T2 P.M. At 2 P.M., the organizers planned to address the crowd at the Lincoln Memorial. ~~~~~~~~ By Elizabeth Cazden |