The March on Washington: Jobs, Freedom, and the Forgotten History of Civil Rights

Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States, 20th Century
Cover of the book The March on Washington: Jobs, Freedom, and the Forgotten History of Civil Rights by William P. Jones, W. W. Norton & Company
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: William P. Jones ISBN: 9780393240580
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company Publication: July 29, 2013
Imprint: W. W. Norton & Company Language: English
Author: William P. Jones
ISBN: 9780393240580
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Publication: July 29, 2013
Imprint: W. W. Norton & Company
Language: English

“Vivid and moving. . . . [Tells] a story all but lost in most civil rights histories.”—Bill Marvel, Dallas Morning News

It was the final speech of a long day, August 28, 1963, when hundreds of thousands gathered on the Mall for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. In a resounding cadence, Martin Luther King Jr. lifted the crowd when he told of his dream that all Americans would join together to realize the founding ideal of equality. The power of the speech created an enduring symbol of the march and the larger civil rights movement. King’s speech still inspires us fifty years later, but its very power has also narrowed our understanding of the march. In this insightful history, William P. Jones restores the march to its full significance.

The opening speech of the day was delivered by the leader of the march, the great trade unionist A. Philip Randolph, who first called for a march on Washington in 1941 to press for equal opportunity in employment and the armed forces. To the crowd that stretched more than a mile before him, Randolph called for an end to segregation and a living wage for every American. Equal access to accommodations and services would mean little to people, white and black, who could not afford them. Randolph’s egalitarian vision of economic and social citizenship is the strong thread running through the full history of the March on Washington Movement. It was a movement of sustained grassroots organizing, linked locally to women’s groups, unions, and churches across the country. Jones’s fresh, compelling history delivers a new understanding of this emblematic event and the broader civil rights movement it propelled.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

“Vivid and moving. . . . [Tells] a story all but lost in most civil rights histories.”—Bill Marvel, Dallas Morning News

It was the final speech of a long day, August 28, 1963, when hundreds of thousands gathered on the Mall for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. In a resounding cadence, Martin Luther King Jr. lifted the crowd when he told of his dream that all Americans would join together to realize the founding ideal of equality. The power of the speech created an enduring symbol of the march and the larger civil rights movement. King’s speech still inspires us fifty years later, but its very power has also narrowed our understanding of the march. In this insightful history, William P. Jones restores the march to its full significance.

The opening speech of the day was delivered by the leader of the march, the great trade unionist A. Philip Randolph, who first called for a march on Washington in 1941 to press for equal opportunity in employment and the armed forces. To the crowd that stretched more than a mile before him, Randolph called for an end to segregation and a living wage for every American. Equal access to accommodations and services would mean little to people, white and black, who could not afford them. Randolph’s egalitarian vision of economic and social citizenship is the strong thread running through the full history of the March on Washington Movement. It was a movement of sustained grassroots organizing, linked locally to women’s groups, unions, and churches across the country. Jones’s fresh, compelling history delivers a new understanding of this emblematic event and the broader civil rights movement it propelled.

More books from W. W. Norton & Company

Cover of the book No Vulgar Hotel: The Desire and Pursuit of Venice by William P. Jones
Cover of the book St. Marks Is Dead: The Many Lives of America's Hippest Street by William P. Jones
Cover of the book A Dissociation Model of Borderline Personality Disorder (Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology) by William P. Jones
Cover of the book Childish Loves: A Novel by William P. Jones
Cover of the book Trauma and the Body: A Sensorimotor Approach to Psychotherapy (Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology) by William P. Jones
Cover of the book Now All Roads Lead to France: A Life of Edward Thomas by William P. Jones
Cover of the book Taming American Power: The Global Response to U. S. Primacy by William P. Jones
Cover of the book The Body Never Lies: The Lingering Effects of Cruel Parenting by William P. Jones
Cover of the book Move: How to Rebuild and Reinvent America's Infrastructure by William P. Jones
Cover of the book The Great Unraveling: Losing Our Way in the New Century by William P. Jones
Cover of the book The Language of Things: Understanding the World of Desirable Objects by William P. Jones
Cover of the book The Heaven of Mercury: A Novel by William P. Jones
Cover of the book Portrait with Keys: The City of Johannesburg Unlocked by William P. Jones
Cover of the book Making Globalization Work by William P. Jones
Cover of the book A Mayan Astronomer in Hell's Kitchen: Poems by William P. Jones
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy