1963 March

The March on Washington was a very significant event that captured the attention of the United States and the world. More than 250,000 people came to Washington to demand equality for blacks and to urge Congress to pass civil rights legislation. The March is best remembered for Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream Speech." It was believed that the rally would build support for President Kennedy's civil rights bill and everyone agreed that it should embrace both blacks and whites. The significance in this March is that nothing positive really happened right away for blacks but as time went on large improvements were made towards the black community. Thirty-five years after the March on Washington, it is apparent that some of its goals have been achieved. Segregation has been abolished, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 finally extended the franchise to southern blacks, and there is now a record number of black elected officials around the country. Educational achievement among African Americans has also improved dramatically, and more blacks now hold positions of responsibility in the public and in private. They are now accepted in our society. The blacks went through so much to get to where they are today. Through death, violence, torture, you name it; they have witnessed it all to be treated equally. This March expressed how it was for blacks. It made the world see how hard it was for them to live under these circumstances. Not only did the world see this but they reacted towards it. It may have taken many years for something to happen about it but it did and the black society and white society are treated equally and are now cohesive in the world today.