Lincoln Memorial — Bob Dylan at the March on Washington

On 28 August 1963, Bob Dylan performed at the Lincoln Memorial as part of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom — the civil rights demonstration at which Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his 'I Have a Dream' speech to an audience of approximately 250,000 people. Dylan performed 'When the Ship Comes In' and 'Only a Pawn in Their Game' alongside Joan Baez, Peter, Paul and Mary, Mahalia Jackson, and other performers. The concert portion of the march, organised by folk and civil rights music figures, preceded King's address. Dylan was 22 years old and already one of the most prominent voices of the protest folk movement.

The March on Washington was the largest demonstration for civil rights in American history and one of the most significant political events of the twentieth century. Dylan's involvement placed him at the intersection of folk music and the civil rights movement at its most historically charged moment. His songs of the early 1960s — 'Blowin' in the Wind', 'The Times They Are A-Changin'', 'Masters of War' — had made him the voice of a generation of young activists. The Washington performance consolidated that association.

The Lincoln Memorial is a major national landmark on the National Mall in Washington DC and is freely accessible to the public at all hours. The reflecting pool and mall area where the March assembled extend east from the memorial steps. The site is maintained by the National Park Service and receives millions of visitors annually. The speech and the march are commemorated by a marker on the steps where King spoke.