1963 was a defining year in the United States. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas; civil rights’ protests continued throughout the South, during which nonviolent activists were frequently met with beatings and arrests; 4 young girls were killed during the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing; over 200,000 people marched on Washington in support of civil rights; Kenya gained its independence; Medger Evers, NAACP field secretary, and civil rights leader, was assassinated at his home in Jackson, Mississippi by a segregationist; Unemployment reached 6.1 percent, etc.