"The March"
1963
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On August 10, 1963, the United States Information Agency (USIA) tasked Hearst Metrotone News with crafting a documentary covering The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, the landmark civil rights event planned for the end of that month. As stated in the contract, the "specific objectives of the Picture are to portray the dramatic events of the August 28th Demonstration...as a living force in American democracy, and to present in depth...a responsible, Nationwide effort on the part of major civil rights organizations...in order to arouse the conscience of a nation to the need of Congressional legislation on the civil rights issue."
Hearst and the USIA enlisted James Blue to direct the film. Fourteen sound and cameramen split into seven teams. They garnered footage from New York, San Francisco, Boston, Los Angeles, Seattle, Atlanta, Texas, Chicago, and Washington D.C. Over the course of three days they shot more than 11 hours of material. Ultimately, the footage was edited down to 33 minutes.
The March was released to countries around the world in 1964, but it remained out of the American public eye for decades. USIA films were meant to promote American policies in foreign countries, without being overt propaganda. But these films were rarely seen in America because of concerns about the U.S. Government propagandizing its own people. The 1948 Smith-Mundt Act had mandated that no USIA film could be shown domestically without a special act of Congress. In August 1986, Congress passed HR 4985 instructing "the Archivist of the United States to provide for the distribution within the United States of the USIA film "The March.""
This is the digitally restored version of the film. The audio from 23:13 to 29:44 of Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech has been redacted due to a copyright restriction by Dr. King's family.
Hearst and the USIA enlisted James Blue to direct the film. Fourteen sound and cameramen split into seven teams. They garnered footage from New York, San Francisco, Boston, Los Angeles, Seattle, Atlanta, Texas, Chicago, and Washington D.C. Over the course of three days they shot more than 11 hours of material. Ultimately, the footage was edited down to 33 minutes.
The March was released to countries around the world in 1964, but it remained out of the American public eye for decades. USIA films were meant to promote American policies in foreign countries, without being overt propaganda. But these films were rarely seen in America because of concerns about the U.S. Government propagandizing its own people. The 1948 Smith-Mundt Act had mandated that no USIA film could be shown domestically without a special act of Congress. In August 1986, Congress passed HR 4985 instructing "the Archivist of the United States to provide for the distribution within the United States of the USIA film "The March.""
This is the digitally restored version of the film. The audio from 23:13 to 29:44 of Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech has been redacted due to a copyright restriction by Dr. King's family.
This primary source comes from the Records of the U.S. Information Agency.
National Archives Identifier: 47526
Full Citation: Motion Picture 306.765; The March; 1963; Moving Images Relating to U.S. Domestic and International Activities , 1982 - 1999; Records of the U.S. Information Agency, Record Group 306; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/the-march, April 20, 2024]Rights: Copyright Not Evaluated Learn more on our privacy and legal page.