On May 17, 1957, the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom took place in Washington, D.C., marking the largest civil rights demonstration in the United States up to that point. Organized by major civil rights leaders, including Bayard Rustin and A. Philip Randolph, the event drew more than 25,000 people to the Lincoln Memorial. It was held on the third anniversary of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision. The keynote address, titled “Give Us the Ballot,” was delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., establishing his national reputation as a civil rights leader. The peaceful demonstration focused on voting rights and desegregation, setting the stage for the larger mass mobilizations of the 1960s.
© 2025 KnowThyHistory.com. Know Thy History
