The Department of Interior was established by an act of March 3, 1849 (43 U.S.C. 1451) which transferred to it the General Land Office, the Office of Indian Affairs, the Pension Office and the Patent Office. The Department also had responsibility for supervision of the Commissioner for Public Buildings, the Board of Inspectors, and the Warden of the Penitentiary of the District of Columbia, the census of the United States; and the accounts of U.S. Marshalls and other officers of the United States courts, and of lead and other mines in the United States. Over the many years of its existence, other functions have been added and removed, so that its role has changed from that of general housekeeper for the Federal Government to that of custodian of the Nation's natural resources. This series consists of photographs taken during or after the historic poor people's demonstration on the Mall in Washington, D.C. The march, which was originally organized by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), and its former leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was continued by Rev. Ralph Abernathy after the assassination of Dr. King in April 1968. The idea behind the march was to demonstrate to the world living conditions of most poor people. A "tent city", named Resurrection City, was erected as a symbolic demonstration during the campaign. These photographs were taken after the permit had terminated and most of the people had left the area on or about June 23, 1968. They show the dismantling of the structures and some of the damage done to the area. The Mall after the clean-up of the tents and re-planting of the grass is not shown. There are no notable personalities in this group of photographs. Some of the 8"x10" items are duplicated in the last folder which contain contact sheets. Other photographs of the Poor People's March on Washington may be found in Record Group 306, Series SSM, Box 9.
