His Truth Is Marching On audiobook cover - John Lewis and the Power of Hope

His Truth Is Marching On

John Lewis and the Power of Hope

Jon Meacham and John Lewis

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His Truth Is Marching On
Early Life & Inspiration+
Strategy of Nonviolence+
The Freedom Rides (1961)+
March on Washington (1963)+
Tumultuous 1964+
Selma & Voting Rights (1965)+
Political Career & Legacy+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 7
What core theological concept, preached by Martin Luther King Jr., deeply inspired a young John Lewis to join the civil rights movement?
  • A. The prosperity gospel, which promised material wealth to the faithful
  • B. The social gospel, which emphasized improving conditions on earth, not just reaching heaven
  • C. Liberation theology, which advocated for armed resistance against oppressive governments
  • D. Christian nationalism, which sought to merge church and state in the American South
Question 2 of 7
How did John Lewis initially learn the specific tactics of nonviolent, passive resistance?
  • A. By traveling to India to study the successful tactics of Mahatma Gandhi
  • B. Through workshops led by Reverend James Lawson Jr. while Lewis was a seminary student in Nashville
  • C. By working directly as Martin Luther King Jr.'s personal assistant during the Montgomery Bus Boycott
  • D. Through his political science coursework while attending the University of Alabama
Question 3 of 7
What was the primary objective of the 1961 Freedom Rides that John Lewis participated in?
  • A. To test and enforce a Supreme Court ruling that desegregated interstate travel facilities
  • B. To register Black voters in rural Mississippi ahead of the presidential election
  • C. To protest the draft and United States involvement in the Vietnam War
  • D. To march to the state capital in Montgomery to demand the removal of literacy tests
Question 4 of 7
Why was President John F. Kennedy initially opposed to the 1963 March on Washington?
  • A. He believed the marchers were insufficiently committed to the principles of nonviolence
  • B. He wanted the march to take place in Birmingham, Alabama, to directly challenge Bull Connor
  • C. He feared the demonstration was 'too much, too soon' and would slow the passage of the Civil Rights Act
  • D. He was concerned about the financial cost of providing National Guard protection for the activists
Question 5 of 7
Why did John Lewis feel betrayed by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the 1964 Democratic Convention?
  • A. Johnson refused to sign the 1964 Civil Rights Act into law despite his previous promises
  • B. Johnson ordered the National Guard to arrest SNCC activists protesting outside the convention
  • C. Johnson publicly criticized Lewis's speech at the convention for being too radical
  • D. Johnson withheld support for integrated delegations out of fear of conservative backlash and losing the election
Question 6 of 7
What was the direct legislative result of the violent events of 'Bloody Sunday' during the march from Selma to Montgomery?
  • A. The desegregation of all public schools and universities in Alabama
  • B. The passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965
  • C. The creation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)
  • D. The immediate withdrawal of US troops from Vietnam
Question 7 of 7
How did John Lewis's approach to activism evolve after the major legislative victories of the mid-1960s?
  • A. He abandoned nonviolence in favor of the Black Power movement led by Stokely Carmichael
  • B. He retired from public life to become a full-time minister in rural Alabama
  • C. He transitioned into electoral politics while continuing to participate in direct, nonviolent protests
  • D. He focused exclusively on foreign policy, eventually becoming a US ambassador to South Africa

His Truth Is Marching On — Full Chapter Overview

His Truth Is Marching On Summary & Overview

His Truth Is Marching On (2020) tells the extraordinary life story of the late congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis, interweaving his personal journey with the larger arc of American history.

Who Should Listen to His Truth Is Marching On?

  • History buffs intrigued by the personalities behind the civil rights movement
  • Political junkies interested in the life of a powerful leader
  • Anyone who’s been inspired by John Lewis

About the Author: Jon Meacham and John Lewis

John Lewis was a civil rights leader and a United States congressman representing Georgia's 5th Congressional District. He first rose to prominence as one of the “Big Six” organizers of the 1963 March on Washington.

Jon Meacham is a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer who specializes in political biographies. His previous works include The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush, Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power, and American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House.

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