Blog #27: MLK, Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" Speech

The Civil Rights Act of 1963 ended segregation in public places and banned employment segregation based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Martin Luther King Jr. was not hesitant to show his support for this Act, and considered it a "second emancipation." He also gives this speech to encourage other African Americans. He says that in their fight for freedom, they must not resort to physical violence, but rather protest with continued hope and faith for the future. He also references the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, pointing out that it states "all men are created equal."

Some of the dreams that MLK Jr. expresses I will list below:
-"my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character"
-"one day in the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers"
-"one day every valley will be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together"
-"one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood"

Martin Luther King Jr. giving his "I Have A Dream" Speech in Washington D.C. (August 28, 1963)

In a way, MLK Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" Speech can be compared to the Women's Suffrage Movement, because both were in support of greater equality for a group of people (MLK Jr.'s Speech- African Americans; Women's Suffrage Movement- Women and their right to vote).