John's Speech: Fellowship Commission
Title
John's Speech: Fellowship Commission
Subject
Civil rights movements, speechwriting, Nineteen sixty-four, Fellowship Commission (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Description
Text of speech written by Sheila Michaels for John Lewis to deliver to the Fellowship Commission in 1964.
Creator
Sheila Michaels, John Lewis
Source
Sheila Michaels Collection, M373, Historical Manuscripts, Special Collections, The University of Southern Mississippi Libraries
Date
Circa 1964
Rights
Rights not evaluated
Format
.jpg
Language
EN
Type
Text
Files
![JOHN’S SPEECH: FELLOWSHIP COMMISSION<br />
<br />
Mr. _________, ________, ________, ladies and gentlemen:<br />
The March on Washington, this year, was one of the first times in history that America has shown that all faiths, all races, labour, government workers and Americans of all professions and convictions could and would unite [typo] to carry forth a cause that they believe in. Before this, we have only seen such a show of strength and unity in times of war; but now, Americans are uniting in times of peace. Americans are demonstrating that they believe in democracy, that it is not a word to be used for propaganda, or something to fight for when our lives are threatened, but that [typo] democracy [typo] will be the American way of life.<br />
The Fellowship Commission, and groups like it, who have paved the way for [typo] last years March are now entering a new era. As some people have pointed out, the Supreme Court decision did not integrate the schools, but freed the civil rights groups to [typo] begin integrating the schools. And so, if the Civil Rights Bill is passed, we will be free to begin integration on a nation-wide basis.<br />
This is the beginning of the third decade after [typo]the original March on Washington; the second half-century of American Labour and the second century after the Emancipation Proclamation. In the first half of this century there were many marches proposed and carried out, to bring the unemployed to Washington, to bring our [typo] plight to the Federal Government. Most of these have been forgotten, except by the few who participated in them.](https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/18935/archive/files/a2f0683ae5125c408c14717924741186.jpg?Expires=1715212800&Signature=UceYScKfpBH9L4zhIUGbyA1IF%7ErYye98oDrVUFBdTNRf4NQR2xbfPE85UHinQqtgvD7Ao3rc3I-Jgy1Lz0XgNHt8I5j9lWFLATj7BPJzGvB9gYE066%7EDt2aVoPHsz6q4V6SwZ3D9o0gY9qIygSapbO7WB7PeQrijD8wcA1DFutfRJXqm4GIIt6j6wd04%7ECCYFdFdGzuWFr%7ExeLd6mw9ELG2L0rU3gORLPzARuBgYM2jqBQSudeKlorhQOWlKOryI6TenNIs1gd26UU3Xl6atCywpcQDNZZI7VbEnu-toEMWyvXriEi-MBhNlSJuPE9IesfyQFSSjvLWhPYJvXD7lAg__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM "JOHN’S SPEECH: FELLOWSHIP COMMISSION<br />
<br />
Mr. _________, ________, ________, ladies and gentlemen:<br />
The March on Washington, this year, was one of the first times in history that America has shown that all faiths, all races, labour, government workers and Americans of all professions and convictions could and would unite [typo] to carry forth a cause that they believe in. Before this, we have only seen such a show of strength and unity in times of war; but now, Americans are uniting in times of peace. Americans are demonstrating that they believe in democracy, that it is not a word to be used for propaganda, or something to fight for when our lives are threatened, but that [typo] democracy [typo] will be the American way of life.<br />
The Fellowship Commission, and groups like it, who have paved the way for [typo] last years March are now entering a new era. As some people have pointed out, the Supreme Court decision did not integrate the schools, but freed the civil rights groups to [typo] begin integrating the schools. And so, if the Civil Rights Bill is passed, we will be free to begin integration on a nation-wide basis.<br />
This is the beginning of the third decade after [typo]the original March on Washington; the second half-century of American Labour and the second century after the Emancipation Proclamation. In the first half of this century there were many marches proposed and carried out, to bring the unemployed to Washington, to bring our [typo] plight to the Federal Government. Most of these have been forgotten, except by the few who participated in them.")
Citation
Sheila Michaels, John Lewis, “John's Speech: Fellowship Commission,” Online Exhibits at Southern Miss, accessed April 27, 2024, https://usmspecialcollections.omeka.net/items/show/501.