On July 15, 1978, the “Longest Walk”—a 2,800-mile trek for Native American justice that had started with several hundred marchers in California—ends in Washington, D.C., accompanied by thousands of supporters. The intent of the event was to call attention to issues affecting Native Americans, such as a lack of jobs and housing, and legislation before Congress that could dramatically change their rights.

The route of marchers and their supporters took them past the White House. Some carried the flags of Indian nations. Native Americans camped on the Washington Monument grounds. While in the nation’s capital, they held rallies and meetings at the Capitol, Supreme Court and White House.

Native Americans of many different tribes were especially concerned about proposed legislation that would eliminate treaties and shut down federal programs for hospitals, schools and housing projects. The proposed legislation also would eliminate Native American reservations and end hunting and fishing rights in areas outside reservations.

Source: history.com

Citation Information

Article Title2,800 mile-long walk for Native American justice concludes in Washington, D.C.AuthorHistory.com EditorsWebsite NameHISTORYURLhttps://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-longest-walk-1978-end-washington-dcDate AccessedJuly 14, 2023PublisherA&E Television NetworksLast UpdatedApril 29, 2022Original Published DateApril 29, 2022

1099 – Jerusalem fell to the Crusaders.

1410 – Poles and Lithuanians defeated the Teutonic knights at Tannenburg, Prussia.

1789 – The electors of Paris set up a “Commune” to live without the authority of the government.

1806 – Lieutenant Zebulon Pike began his western expedition from Fort Belle Fountaine, near St. Louis, MO.

1813 – Napoleon Bonaparte’s representatives met with the Allies in Prague to discuss peace terms.

1834 – Lord Napier of England arrived in Macao, China as the first chief superintendent of trade.

1870 – Georgia became the last of the Confederate states to be readmitted to the Union.

1876 – George Washington Bradley of St. Louis pitched the first no-hitter in baseball in a 2-0 win over Hartford.

1885 – In New York, the Niagara Reservation State Park opened.

1888 – “Printers’ Ink” was first sold.

1895 – Ex-prime minister of Bulgaria, Stephen Stambulov, was murdered by Macedonian rebels.

1901 – Over 74,000 Pittsburgh steel workers went on strike. 

1904 – The first Buddhist temple in the U.S. was established in Los Angeles, CA.

1916 – In Seattle, WA, Pacific Aero Products was incorporated by William Boeing. The company was later renamed Boeing Co.

1918 – The Second Battle of the Marne began during World War I.

1922 – The duck-billed platypus arrived in America, direct from Australia. It was exhibited at the Bronx Zoo in New York City.

1942 – The first supply flight from India to China over the ‘Hump’ was carried to help China’s war effort.

1958 – Five thousand U.S. Marines landed in Beirut, Lebanon, to protect the pro-Western government. The troops withdrew October 25, 1958.

1965 – The spacecraft Mariner IV sent back the first close-up pictures of the planet Mars. 

1968 – Commercial air travel began between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R., when the first plane, a Soviet Aeroflot jet, landed at Kennedy International Airport in New York. 

1971 – U.S. President Nixon announced he would visit the People’s Republic of China to seek a “normalization of relations.”

1972 – NASA’s Pioneer 10 spacecraft became the first to enter the asteroid belt. 

1973 – Nolan Ryan (California Angels) became the first pitcher in two decades to win two no-hitters in a season. (California)

1985 – Baseball players voted to strike on August 6th if no contract was reached with baseball owners. The strike turned out to be just a one-day interruption.

1987 – Taiwan ended thirty-seven years of martial law.

2006 – The social networking service Twitter was launched.

2009 – “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” was released in theaters in the U.S. It was the sixth movie in the series.

2011 – “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” was released in theaters in the U.S. and U.K. It was the final film in the Harry Potter series.