The Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall was not built to be an emblem of any movement. The events that have happened here - those events that would not have been possible without the Emancipation Proclamation and the preservation of the Union by Lincoln - have embedded the memorial in the American psyche as an icon of the Civil Rights Movement. From Marion Anderson to Martin Luther King, Jr., Washington, D.C. and the National Mall in particular, are associated with this part of American history.
But that is only where the March on Washington ended. Downtown, DC has many more historic sites related to the efforts of all types of persons working towards equality.
Join DC By Foot on this special Civil Rights tour, we'll learn about the history of the Civil Rights movement in Downtown Washington, DC by visiting and discussing:
- Site of the Epicurean Eating House and the Snow Riots
- Site of National Era offices - that first serialised Uncle Tom's Cabin and was the site of the Pearl Riots
- Pennsylvania Avenue - the story behind the Women's Suffrage Parade
- U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
- Freedom Plaza & The Willard Intercontinental Hotel
- Story of the Freedom Riders
...and much more.
Tour information
This tour is offered as a private option only.
Where: We meet at the northeast corner of Pennsylvania Ave and 7th St NW by the Grand Army of the Republic Memorial (map). This is across the street from the Archives/Navy Memorial/Penn Quarter Metro Station (Yellow/Green Line).
Duration: Tour lasts approx. 2 hours. Total walking is just over one mile (1,6km).
Cost: This tour is free to take, and you get to decide what, if anything, the tour was worth when it's done. A pay-what-you-like tour is a tour for any budget.