Introduction and Summary of ‘I Have a Dream’ by Martin Luther King Jr.

'I Have a Dream'

I Have a Dream‘ is a famous speech, delivered by Martin Luther King Jr. on August 28, 1963, from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the advance Washington for jobs and freedom. In this speech, King called for racial equality and an end to discrimination against the black people in America. Actually, it had been a defining moment of the American Civil Rights Movement. Delivered to over 200,000 civil rights supporters, the speech is usually considered to be one among the best and most notable speeches in human history and was ranked the top American speech of the 20th century by a 1999 poll of students of public address.


I Have a Dream” became synonymous with the aims of the march and therefore the entire civil rights movement. His dream represented the dream of many Americans demanding a free, equal and just nation. A scholar and a pastor at the same time, King was able to combine academic, political, and Biblical elements in his speech. He made references to the Bill of rights, the Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation, and therefore the Bible. When delivering his address, he spoke with accessible language and used repetition to drive home details. The phrase, “I have a dream” is repeated ninefold within the speech. Though King had a script in front of him, as the speech, progressed and the crowd responded, he began to improvise his message. The “I have a dream” section of the speech is that of the most well-known portion of the address, and it had been entirely extemporaneous. The power of this section may be a testament to King’s skill of oratory, and therefore the conviction with which he spoke. Just as his namesake Martin Luther sparkled the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century, King’s speech, “I have a dream” emboldened his followers and changed history.


In his speech, Kings demands an equivalent justice and equality for black Americans that’s promised to all or any citizens within the Declaration of Independence. While he calls on fellow civil rights activists to persevere in the face of brutality, violence and oppression, he is also cautious against the use of violence. King believed in what Henry, David Thoreau termed “Civil Disobedience”, during which individuals use non-violent means to realize social change. He also studied Mahatma Gandhi’s peaceful protests for Indian Independence within the 1930s and 1940s. A
gain and again he counsels the gang, “We must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with force of the soul.”

Summary

Martin Luther King Jr. is happy to hitch an excellent congregation of the Civil Rights activists demanding freedom for all Americans, and he hopes that today of August 28, 1963 are going to be a landmark within the history of America as a nation. In 1863, great American President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation providing the black people with the “great light of hope” in giving freedom from the shackles of slavery. But 100 years later, the black people are still not free. All Americans were issued a check or a note with a promise of freedom, except for black men and ladies that check has been “a bad check” and it’s come with “insufficient funds.” But the members of the civil rights union are confident of getting sufficient to take advantage of their funds and demanded the “cash” of freedom and justice they were alleged to receive from the govt. King, alongside his many supporters, demands their freedom “now”, they demand things to vary with a way of urgency and without procrastination from the oppressor. They are doing not want to ascertain slow change coming over time; they rather want to ascertain significant change coming into effect immediately. King roars, “Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God’s children.”

However, King hopes to get equality through non-violent movement. He tells his fellow black people to not have hatred or bitterness in their heart or address guns and fists. He knows that violence to get peace only results in an endless cycle of fighting, unnecessary death, and cruelty. King is additionally aware that this issue of the black must not lead them to hate all people of various races and nationalities. He knows that it’ll only cause an equivalent quite discrimination he’s fighting against together with his “I have a dream” speech. Black people aren’t fighting for his or her own satisfactions; they have to fight until they feel content with what they have accomplished. Black people are fighting for continuous freedom and equality, not just to be stopped with King’s 1963 speech.

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