Advocating the Dream: 7 notable mass gatherings of the Civil Rights Movement

March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom — 1963

One of the most famous events of the Civil Rights Movement, the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom brought about a quarter of a million people to the District of Columbia.

The event featured King’s famous “I have a Dream” speech and showed the prominence of the movement in national politics, helping to influence congressional action on behalf of civil rights.

While most remembered for the optimistic advocacy for civil rights equality, the march also had speakers who focused on lobbying for greater legislative and economic change for the nation.

“There was a list of ‘Ten Demands’ from the sponsors, insisting on a fair living wage, fair employment policies, and desegregation of school districts,” the National Park Service explained.

“John Lewis in his speech said that ‘we do not want our freedom gradually but we want to be free now’ and that Congress needed to pass ‘meaningful legislation’ or people would march through the South … [Lewis also] managed to criticize both political parties for moving too slowly on civil rights.”