Martin Luthor King Jr. was an American Baptist minister and activist who became one of the most visible and famous spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement from 1955 and it stayed that way until his assassination in 1968. Martin Luthor King Jr best…
Martin Luther King I Have a Dream Essay Examples and Topics
Best topics on Martin Luther King I Have a Dream
August 29, 1963
Martin Luther King Jr.
Public speech
Civil rights, racism, economic rights
This is the top-ranked American speech of the 20th century.
Martin Luther King Jr. gave the speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. This event demonstrated support for President Kennedy’s proposed civil rights legislation. Martin Luter King wrote the speech as a homage to Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.
In the speech, King mentions the Emancipation Proclamation, the Declaration of Independence, and the United States Constitution as the founding documents for a restored democracy.
100 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, “the Negro still is not free.” King’s speech intends to awaken American citizens to the reality and inspire a real change in society.
- “I have a dream that my four little 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. I have a dream today!”
- “The difference between a dreamer and a visionary is that a dreamer has his eyes closed and a visionary has his eyes open.”
In 1964, one year after giving the speech, King became the youngest man who ever received the Nobel Peace Prize.
The March on Washington really pressured the government to advance stronger civil rights legislation in Congress. It is a simple, powerful speech that gets straight to the point and is driven by raw emotion.
Several Black leaders have criticized King for being too mellow and compromising.