"I have a dream ... "— we all know the words.
But Martin Luther King Jr.'s crowning moment may never have happened without one of the largest protests ever — the March on Washington on August 28, 1963.
After growing backlash against blacks in the South, King and five others planned the event, a peaceful demonstration to end segregation and promote equal rights.
King crafted his famous speech specifically for the 250,000 people that would gather in the nation's capital that day.
In 1963, Birmingham, Ala. had become the epicenter of racism. A KKK clansmen bombed a Baptist church, killing four young girls in September. Denise McNair, 11; Carole Robertson, 14; Addie Mae Collins, 14; and Cynthia Wesley, 14; from left, died in the fire.
As a result, Martin Luther King, Jr. turned his focus to the area. He organized many anti-segregation demonstrations despite a state-wide ban. Police arrested King and his fellow civil rights proponent, Rev. Ralph Abernathy, on April 12, 1963 during a demonstration.
The situation in the South continued to worsen. Below, firefighters in Birmingham turn a high-powered hose on peaceful demonstrators. Bayard Rustin, the march's head organizer, said that credit for mobilizing the march could go to "Bull Conor [Commissioner of Public Safety in Birmingham], his police dogs, and his fire hoses."
Source: Congress of Racial Equality
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