Final answer:
Martin Luther King's marches in the North were primarily to highlight the economic struggles of the poor through the Poor People's Campaign, advocating for antipoverty legislation and drawing attention to shared economic hardships beyond racial lines.
Step-by-step explanation:
Martin Luther King led marches in the North primarily To point out the needs of the poor, as highlighted by the Poor People's Campaign. Unlike previous protests that were more race-focused, this campaign was class-based, aiming to draw attention to the economic struggles shared by impoverished Americans across different races and regions. The goal was to advocate for sweeping antipoverty legislation.
In the fall of 1967, Martin Luther King addressed the economic issues of the poor during the SCLC's annual meeting, signaling a shift to a more comprehensive approach to civil rights that included both racial and economic injustice. The campaign intended to build an interracial community on the National Mall to represent the unification of the poor in their appeal for congressional action.
Thus, while the marches in the North were part of a broader civil rights strategy, they highlighted the economic disparity and the poverty that needed to be addressed alongside issues of segregation and racial discrimination.