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US/VA PBA Spring 2021 (Gen Ed): Civil Rights Era Speeches

Civil Rights Primary Source Speeches

Directions: 

  • Read the Who is ____? information in the Context for Speech column/box 
    • All articles for the Who is_____? come from the Britannica School database which requires a password.  
  • Decide which person's speech you are interested in listening to.
  • Click on the photo of the person to view the speech
Date of Speech Civil Right activist giving the speech Context for the speech
1963

John Lewis

John Lewis

Photo citation:

John Lewis, Civil Rights Leader and Politician. Photograph. Britannica ImageQuest, Encyclopædia Britannica, 19 Jan 2021.
quest.eb.com/search/139_3906612/1/139_3906612/cite. Accessed 22 Mar 2021.

Who is John Lewis?

This speech was given at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, August 28, 1963.  Civil rights leaders including John Lewis organized the march to protest racial discrimination and to show support for major civil rights legislation that was pending in Congress.

Lewis, was the youngest person to speak at the Lincoln Memorial and though still in his early 20s, had already become such a prominent figure that he was considered one of the civil rights movement’s “Big Six” leaders, along with King, James Farmer, A. Phillip Randolph, Roy Wilkins, and Whitney Young.

More information about the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom can be found here.
1963

Daisy Bates

Daisy Bates

Photo citation:

Daisy Bates (1914-1999). - American civil rights activist.. Fine Art. Britannica ImageQuest, Encyclopædia Britannica, 25 May 2016.
quest.eb.com/search/140_1684242/1/140_1684242/cite. Accessed 22 Mar 2021.

Who is Daisy Bates?

This speech was given at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, August 28, 1963.  Civil rights leaders organized the march to protest racial discrimination and to show support for major civil rights legislation that was pending in Congress.

Daisy Bates is the only woman who spoke at the 1963 March on Washington during the official program. Bates delivered the “Tribute to Negro Women Fighters for Freedom” in the place of Myrlie Evers, who was unable to attend the March. 

More information about the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom can be found here.
1963

Martin Luther King, Jr., March on Washington

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Photo citation:

Martin Luther King, Jr. - (1929-1968). American cleric and civil rights leader. Delivering his celebrated 'I Have a Dream' speech at the March on Washington, 28 August 1963.. Fine Art. Britannica ImageQuest, Encyclopædia Britannica, 25 May 2016.
quest.eb.com/search/140_1700984/1/140_1700984/cite. Accessed 22 Mar 2021.

Who is Martin Luther King, Jr.?

Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, August 28, 1963. Civil rights leaders organized the march to protest racial discrimination and to show support for major civil rights legislation that was pending in Congress.

More information about the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom can be found here.