50th Anniversary of the March on Washington

Fifty years ago tomorrow, 250,000 people convened on the Mall in Washington, D.C. to speak out for the oppressed, disenfranchised, and downtrodden. This day marked a turning point in U.S. history and set the stage for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

It was during this momentous event that Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his moving and poignant "I Have a Dream Speech" and helped open the eyes of a nation to the great injustice that was marring this nation.

To honor and celebrate this anniversary there are all sorts of resources available. Time magazine has a great commemorative issue available on newstands. It contains interviews with people who were there and participated in the March along with beautiful photographs of the event.

Online, here are a few of my favorites.

~Text of King's famous speech.
~Did you know that the most memorable lines were given off the cuff and hadn't been written into the original speech text?
~Watch the march and speech here.
~34 photos of the March.
~David Brooks writes about the ideas behind the march.
~King's moving and poignant "Letter from Birmingham Jail".
~Resources on the civil rights movement from history.com
~NY Times front page and coverage from August 28, 1963
~LIFE original photos
~LIFE rare photos of MLK and the Freedom Riders