History
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On June 9th, 1964, Civil Rights Movement leader Andrew Young led a march from Lincolnville to the Plaza de la Constitución in St. Augustine to organize a peaceful protest for human rights after being sent there by the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., a close friend and fellow advocate. When Young led the demonstrators across the street to this location, they met violent opposition from a large white mob that had been waiting for the marchers to arrive, and Young recalled being struck down several times in the melee. The activists, remaining true to Dr. King's non-violent strategy, walked away. Civil rights historians regard this as one of the pivotal events that eventually led to the passage of civil rights legislation. National press coverage of the 1964 protests helped break Congress' filibuster on the Civil Rights Act vote, and on July 2nd, 1964, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Bill into law.
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St. Augustine, Florida · United States
