Making a Mark: Marching & Leaping Towards Reform

Aerial view of marchers, from the Lincoln Memorial to the Washington Monument, at the March on Washington

Overview

Students make connections between protest, reform, and legacy through investigation of the 1963 March on Washington, Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech, the poem “Crossing” by Jericho Brown, and an excerpt of a conversation about leaving a legacy to your country with poet, teacher, and activist Sonia Sanchez. After, students consider civic actions they might take that would support the promise of American democracy.

Related Resources

Grade

High School, Middle School

Subjects

Civics, English Language Arts, Social Studies

Length

90-120 minutes

Topics

American dream, American promise, civic action, civil rights, Crossing, democracy, I Have a Dream, Jericho Brown, legacy, March on Washington, Martin Luther King Jr., poem, poetry, Sonia Sanchez

Author

Academy of American Poets

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