Which tactic is most associated with the March on Washington's approach?

• A. Violent confrontation and insurrection.
• B. Only private lobbying of policymakers.
• C. Nonviolent direct action and mass demonstrations.
• D. Economic sanctions without public demonstrations.

Answer: (C)

Nonviolent direct action and mass demonstrations are the approach most closely associated with the March on Washington. In 1963, organizers chose peaceful, organized protest to dramatize the urgent demand for civil rights and economic justice while appealing to the public and to policymakers. Maintaining nonviolence helped keep moral authority and avoided giving opponents a pretext for repression, which kept broad support and attention intact. The large public gathering at the Lincoln Memorial created powerful visibility, drawing national and international media to the cause and signaling widespread support. This combination of peaceful action and massive turnout aimed to persuade lawmakers and shift public opinion, contributing to momentum for landmark civil rights legislation in the years that followed. Violent confrontation would undermine legitimacy, private lobbying alone misses the scale and public pressure of a mass demonstration, and economic sanctions without public demonstrations lack the broad visibility and coalition-building that the march achieved.