DR. KING DELIVERS RINGING SPEECH AT WASHINGTON MARCH
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On August 28, 1963, the most famous speech of the Civil Rights Movement was delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King's speech was the highlight of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom attended by a quarter of a million people and watched by millions more on television.While there were many speakers at the event, it was Dr. King's speech that would resonate throughout the land.
Dr. King said...
"I still have a dream. It is a dream that is deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal'".
After the event, civil rights leaders, including Dr. King, Roy Wilkins, Whitney Young, Jr., John Lewis and A. Philip Randolph, met with President John F. Kennedy at the White House. John Lewis said that the President greeted each of them at the door of the Oval Office and congratulated them with the words, "You did a great job."
The March on Washington was the brainchild of A. Philip Randolph who had attempted to lead a march in 1941 which never materialized but resulted in FDR's executive order prohibiting discrimination in munition plants.
Mr. Randolph, who became the Director of the March on Washington, had been counseling Dr. King to hold a march in the Nation's Capital in 1963.
JFK's speech on civil rights in June, along with his submission of a civil rights bill, gave a strong boost to Randolph's idea.
JFK had been concerned that the March on Washington would turn violent and hurt chances for the passage of his civil rights legislation. When the day ended with no violence, the President was relieved and pleased. He said privately earlier in the day that he wished he could be "out there" with the marchers.
Thurston Clarke says that after JFK watched Dr. King's speech, he said...
"That's a terrific speech. He's damn good."
MLK, Jr. Memorial
MLK, Jr. Memorial
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On August 28, 1963, the most famous speech of the Civil Rights Movement was delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King's speech was the highlight of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom attended by a quarter of a million people and watched by millions more on television.While there were many speakers at the event, it was Dr. King's speech that would resonate throughout the land.
Dr. King said...
"I still have a dream. It is a dream that is deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal'".
After the event, civil rights leaders, including Dr. King, Roy Wilkins, Whitney Young, Jr., John Lewis and A. Philip Randolph, met with President John F. Kennedy at the White House. John Lewis said that the President greeted each of them at the door of the Oval Office and congratulated them with the words, "You did a great job."
The March on Washington was the brainchild of A. Philip Randolph who had attempted to lead a march in 1941 which never materialized but resulted in FDR's executive order prohibiting discrimination in munition plants.
Mr. Randolph, who became the Director of the March on Washington, had been counseling Dr. King to hold a march in the Nation's Capital in 1963.
JFK's speech on civil rights in June, along with his submission of a civil rights bill, gave a strong boost to Randolph's idea.
JFK had been concerned that the March on Washington would turn violent and hurt chances for the passage of his civil rights legislation. When the day ended with no violence, the President was relieved and pleased. He said privately earlier in the day that he wished he could be "out there" with the marchers.
Thurston Clarke says that after JFK watched Dr. King's speech, he said...
"That's a terrific speech. He's damn good."
MLK, Jr. Memorial
Washington, D.C.
Photo by John White (2011)
MLK, Jr. Memorial
Washington, D.C.
Photo by John White (2011)
