The online tool for teaching with documents, from the National Archives

We Shall Overcome

Focusing on Details: Zoom/Crop

All documents and text associated with this activity are printed below, followed by a worksheet for student responses.

Introduction

Describe the photograph below and try to determine where this girl might be. Look at the whole visible area for context clues — even the smallest details may reveal the answer!


Name:
Class:

Worksheet

We Shall Overcome

Focusing on Details: Zoom/Crop

Examine the documents included in this activity and write your response in the space provided.


  1. Write down descriptive words or phrases that come to mind when you look at this photograph.
  2. Imagine that you are this young woman. Where are you right now? Why are you there?

Your Response



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Activity Element

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Conclusion

We Shall Overcome

Focusing on Details: Zoom/Crop

Photographer Rowland Scherman, working for the United States Information Agency, took this photo that has become an iconic image of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963. Edith Lee-Payne of Detroit, Michigan, carried a March on Washington banner as she celebrated her 12th birthday by attending the March with her mother. You can watch a short video about this photo on the National Archives YouTube Channel.

Answer the following questions in preparation for a class discussion:

  1. What does the banner that Edith is holding tell you about the reasons behind the March on Washington? 
  2. Why do you think the organizers of the March chose the Lincoln Memorial as the place to end their march?
  3. Why do you think it took place in Washington, DC? What impact do you think this had?


Your Response