The March on Washington was one of the largest protests in American history, with an estimated 250,000 people gathering on the Washington Mall to force congress to pass civil rights legislation. After the August 28, 1963 March, many Civil Rights leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr. and A. Philip Randolph met with members of congress. After a long legislative process, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which legally prohibited discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, or national origin, was passed on July 2, 1964.