Martin Luther King & the March on Washington, 1963 (AQA GCSE History)
Revision Note
Why was the March on Washington Significant for the Civil Rights Movement? - Summary
The March on Washington, held on August 28, 1963, was a pivotal event in the Civil Rights Movement. Organised by civil rights leaders including Martin Luther King, the march aimed to advocate for civil and economic rights for African Americans and an end to segregation and discrimination. It brought together around 250,000 people from all over the country, making it one of the largest political rallies for human rights in United States history.
The March on Washington is perhaps best remembered for Martin Luther King’s iconic "I Have a Dream" speech, delivered from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. His powerful words resonated with millions of Americans, calling for an end to racial injustice and envisioning a future where people would be “judged by the content of their character rather than the colour of their skin”. The march captured the attention of the nation and inspired people of all races to join the fight for equality and justice.
The March on Washington demonstrated the power of peaceful protest and collective action in effecting social change, leaving a lasting legacy in the ongoing fight for civil rights.
What Caused the March on Washington?
Philip Randolph, the leader of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, had the idea for a civil rights march to Washington
Washington D.C is the capital of the USA
Washington has key government buildings, including Congress
A protest in front of these buildings would gain media attention
The NAACP, CORE, SNCC and SCLC were all involved in the organisation of the event
1963 was a significant year for the civil rights movement
It was the centenary of the end of slavery
The aims of the March on Washington were:
To bring attention to the civil rights movement in a non-violent way
Organisers like Martin Luther King were concerned about how violent the civil rights movement was becoming
To demand the passing of a civil rights bill
The US government was taking a long time to implement change. Protestors were growing frustrated with the government’s lack of concern for civil rights
Exam Tip
Martin Luther King is also known as MLK or Doctor King. Any version is acceptable in your exam answers. Whilst there are many abbreviations in this course, it may help in your exam answers to shorten King’s name. When writing an answer, write “Martin Luther King (MLK)” once. This will allow you to write “MLK” throughout the rest of your answer.
'I Have a Dream' Speech
Many people spoke at the event in Washington
One of these was John Lewis, the chair of the SNCC
Martin Luther King was the last speaker of the day
He delivered a speech which became known as ‘I Have a Dream’ speech
Exam Tip
Martin Luther King is a key figure in the AQA America 1920-1973: Opportunity and Inequality course. You should focus some of your revision on identifying other important people in this course. The exam could ask you about a key person in multiple ways:
You could be given an interpretation about or created by this person. Knowing the key figure could help you analyse why the interpretation has a particular opinion. It will also help you to decide which interpretation you trust more on the focus of the question
You may need to use the key person as evidence for a longer 8- or 12-mark question. This could be to explain in what ways a period was impacted by an event. It could also be to decide and justify which reason is the most important
Impact of the March on Washington
Impact of the March on Washington
Reasons for the March on Washington’s significance | Impact |
|---|---|
Size of protest | 250,000 people attended the protest. Out of this, there were around 40,000 white protestors. This showed the level of support for the civil rights movement in the USA. The US government had to tackle the issue |
Media coverage | Famous people such as Bob Dylan attended the event. The march was also televised. It was shown in the USA and other countries. This brought a significant amount of attention to the civil rights movement |
Martin Luther King’s speech | King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech was powerful. It became one of the most famous speeches in history. The speech made King even more famous. Many people saw him as the leader of the civil rights movement |
Selma, Alabama, 1965
In 1965, SCLC and SNCC marched from Selma to the state capital, Montgomery
The aim of this march was to:
Protest against the restrictions of African Americans voting rights
Publicise the need for voting rights
Martin Luther King Jr. was not present at the first march as King was scheduled to speak at a church in Atlanta, Georgia
On March 7th, 1965, as 600 demonstrators walked over the Edmund Pettus Bridge they were attacked
The violence was captured on TV and became known as “Bloody Sunday” as the demonstrators were:
Attacked with tear gas
Attacked with billy clubs and bullwhips
Overrun by horses
More than 50 people were hospitalised
The march was rearranged for March 9th, 1965, by Martin Luther King
He led more than 2,000 demonstrators back over the Edmund Pettus Bridge
Selma was a significant event in the Civil Rights movement as
It created more sympathy for the civil rights movement across the US
It led to President Johnson and Congress to introduce and pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965
Worked Example
Which interpretation do you find more convincing about Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights campaigns? Explain your answer using Interpretations A and B and your contextual knowledge
[8 marks]
Interpretation A: Adapted from a speech made by President Ronald Reagan on 2 November 1983 after he had made a law creating a national holiday to celebrate Martin Luther King “Dr Martin Luther King inspired our nation. He made equal rights his life's work. Across the country, he organised boycotts, rallies, and marches. Often he was beaten and imprisoned but never stopped teaching non-violence. On one hot August day in 1963, he addressed a quarter of a million people at the Lincoln Memorial and his words that day will never be forgotten” |
Interpretation B: Adapted from interviews with Clayborne Carson, 2013. He spent his life studying the Civil Rights campaigns. In his youth, Carson was a Civil Rights activist and he heard King’s speech at the Lincoln Memorial in August 1963. At that time he worked with many ordinary people as well as the leading figures in the Civil Rights campaigns “I have vivid memories of that day, but not of King’s speech. My biggest impression was of the ordinary people I met there. I have always believed in the grassroots nature of the freedom struggle rather than King's leadership. It was people like Rosa Parks who made it possible for King to display his leadership. Without King, the Civil Rights campaigns would still have happened. Without the campaigns, King would just have been an articulate Baptist minister with no holiday named after him” |
Partial answer:
Overall, I believe that Interpretation B is more convincing than Interpretation A (1). This is because the civil rights movement could not just rely on the actions of Martin Luther King. The actions of multiple people, including Rosa Parks, increased pressure on the US government to grant civil rights to African-Americans. In addition, Carson was heavily involved in the civil rights movement. Therefore, his personal experience shows how important the actions of all protestors were in achieving civil rights for all US citizens (1).
Exam Tip
Question 3 builds upon your analysis of two interpretations used in Questions 1 and 2. You have to make a judgement about which interpretation you find the most convincing about a topic.
The worked example above shows the conclusion to this question. You may notice that it examines the long-term impacts of all protestors in the civil rights movement. It also considered the provenance of Interpretation B. This means that the conclusion is justified with evidence.
To complete this answer, you should add two paragraphs. One paragraph should explain why what parts of Interpretation A are convincing. The second paragraph should show what sections of Interpretation B are convincing.
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