Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom |
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| Part of the Civil Rights Movement | |||
| Date | May 17, 1957 | ||
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Washington, D.C. at the Lincoln Memorial
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The Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom was a big event held in Washington, D.C. in 1957. It was an important early step in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. During this event, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous "Give Us the Ballot" speech.
Contents
Why the Pilgrimage Happened
This demonstration was planned to mark three years since a very important court decision. This decision was called Brown v. Board of Education (1954). The Supreme Court, which is the highest court in the U.S., ruled that separating students by race in public schools was against the law.
However, many places, especially in the Southern states, were not following this rule. They were trying to stop schools from becoming integrated. The people who organized the Prayer Pilgrimage wanted the government to make sure the court's decision was followed.
The march was put together by A. Philip Randolph, Bayard Rustin, and Ella Baker. It also had support from groups like the NAACP and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), which was a new group at the time. To make sure the event went smoothly, the organizers called it a "prayer commemoration." This was to avoid causing problems with the government. The idea for the demonstration was announced on April 5, 1957, by Randolph, Martin Luther King Jr., and Roy Wilkins.
The Demonstration Day
The event lasted for three hours and took place in front of the famous Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Many well-known people took part, including singers Mahalia Jackson and Harry Belafonte.
Among the speakers were Roy Wilkins, Mordecai Wyatt Johnson, and Martin Luther King Jr.. King was the last person to speak. This was the first time he spoke to such a large national audience. He explained that getting voting rights for Black Americans was a key part of the fight for civil rights. About 25,000 people came to the event to pray and share their views. At that time, it was the biggest civil rights demonstration ever organized.
King's "Give Us the Ballot" Speech
Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech is known as Give Us the Ballot because he kept repeating this important request. He then explained all the good things that would happen if African Americans got their voting rights back:
- "Give us the ballot and we will no longer have to worry the federal government about our basic rights ..."
- "Give us the ballot and we will no longer plead to the federal government for passage of an anti-lynching law ..."
- "Give us the ballot and we will fill our legislative halls with men of good will ..."
- "Give us the ballot and we will place judges on the benches of the South who will do justly and love mercy ..."
- "Give us the ballot and we will quietly and nonviolently, without rancor or bitterness, implement the Supreme Court's decision of May 17, 1954."
This speech is considered one of King's most important speeches.
What Happened After
With this powerful speech, King became known as a top leader for Black Americans. His strong call for the right to vote helped inspire future events. These included the Selma Voting Rights Movement and the Selma to Montgomery March. It also helped lead to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which was a very important law passed in 1965.
The organizers of the Prayer Pilgrimage also gained valuable experience. This event helped set the stage for even bigger civil rights demonstrations in Washington, D.C., in the years that followed.
