It did not actually instigate the Civil Rights Act, which was already under deliberation and passed the year following the march, but it definitely demonstrated the will of the people in regards to the Act. At the same time, the successes of the march were largely symbolic, which has been interpreted by some as meaning that the march was not truly successful.

A determination of the March on Washington's success, then, depends upon one's definition of success. The march itself did not eradicate the Jim Crow laws or establish political and economic equality -- two things which remain sought for today, though the disparity and inequalities have lessened a great deal -- but it did provide a major touchstone in the lives, hearts, and minds of the people involved in the struggle. It remains a large part of the collective consciousness of those for whom the struggle for Civil Rights...
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