March on Washington, 1963

The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, or "The Great March on Washington," was one of the largest political rallies for human rights in United States history. On August 27, 1963, approximately 250,000 people set their sights on Washington in the name of civil and economic rights for African Americans. The following day, August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famed speech, "I Have a Dream," calling for an end to racism. This movement was credited with helping to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and inspiring the Selma to Montgomery marches which led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Bennington Banner (Vermont), Wednesday, August 28, 1963, sixteen pages. Headline on front page reads: "Massive Civil Rights March Under Way in Washington," in part: "Singing, sign-carrying thousands marched from the Washington monument to the Lincoln Memorial today in a mass call for Congress to bar racial discrimination up and down the fabric of American life." Next to the headline is a candid photo of singer Marian Anderson, executive secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Roy Wilkins, actor Paul Newman, Reverend Robert Spike of the National Council of Churches (NYC), and actress Faye Emerson. 

Other headlines include: "Trapped Two Weeks 300' Below Ground"; "Third Miner Still Sought By Drillers"; "Little Hope 25 Miners Can Be Saved in Utah"; "1,200 Bostonians March In Washington Today."

Measuring approximately 16.25 x 22.5, this vintage newspaper is in fine condition, with light toning along the edges and a small piece of adhesive at the top edge.