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Before the Speech
Martin Luther King Junior delivered the speech, I Have a Dream, in 1963. It was heard by an initial two hundred thousand people, beyond any other rally in the history of the U.S at that time. The speechs content put pressure on President Lyndons administration to push for civil rights laws to pass through Congress. The narrative was necessitated by the social, economic, and political challenges that people of color faced specifically in relation to acquiring decent jobs. The population agreed to a peaceful demonstration dubbed the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom where King delivered his speech. Importantly, the phrase I have a dream was not originally in the speech and was an impromptu addition to his written narration. Martin Luther King Juniors speech had a positive and long-lasting impact on the lives of people of color in the US as this essay will prove.
Although slavery had been abolished all over America, black Americans still faced prejudice from Caucasians. This meant that it was nearly impossible for them to get decent work, and when they did, they were hardly paid enough for their efforts. The Jim Crow laws came into effect in the 1960s in the southern parts of the country. These laws allowed racial segregation that encouraged Caucasians and black Americans to live in different neighborhoods, go to different schools, and even access different shopping stalls. Additionally, even though people of color (men) were allowed to vote, they were often met with beatings and insults when they tried to do this (vote). Therefore, King was reacting to the injustices that the black community was still facing after being declared free. Indeed, one can argue that the population still felt shackled due to the restrictions and discriminations they continued to face because of their skin color.
Martin Luther King delivered the I have a dream speech in front of Abraham Lincolns statue, Americas great liberator. Symbolically, it depicts how he carried on with the forerunners fight for liberation. The uniqueness of his call for freedom is his capacity to arouse early twenty-first-century African American and Non-African Americans activists. Present-day activists trail the path that Martin Luther King laid in hopes of altering the course of history. Indeed, Kings messages reverberate strongly in the literature Blacks Lives matter movements.
Content of the Speech
The beginning of the speech highlights how King felt about the situation the black man was in at that moment, one hundred years after slavery was abolished. But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. The premise shows that despite all the efforts that had been made by leaders, some Caucasians, and the entire black American community, there were still deep rooted problems that had to be addressed. It can be argued that starting the speech with the selected part made people listen to the rest of the narrative. Not only did it capture the black American community but America and the world at large.
Further, Kings words instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check; a check which has come back marked insufficient funds, had a symbolic meaning that resonated with people of color. First, they had all experienced what it felt to be poor with no income. Putting these strong words into a narrative that the black community would not only understand but also support due to the passion and cultural implication behind the words was critical in the events that followed the speech. The U.S government officially abolished segregation after Martin Luthers forced moral awakening across the country. Reminisced for its powerful metaphors and its reiteration of memorable and simple catchphrase, Kings I have a dream speech has endured as a crowning achievement of one of the movements most famous faces, and a signature moment of the civil rights struggle. Martin Luther King is fundamental to the voice of black Americans. The civil rights movement of the mid-60 was also an immediate result of Kings speech (Kirk, 2020). The vision he had during the historic Washington march is, indeed, enduring evidence in contemporary memory of his speechs impact. Reasonably, statements, protests, rallying efforts, and movements all echo deep in Americans conscience.
Additionally, Kings speech was indeed meant for the black community but also called for like-minded Caucasians to join the fight in ensuring equal treatment for everyone in America despite their skin color. This argument is derived from his statement With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day , which does not identify any skin color. Arguably, King called for social justice for all, irrespective of race, skin color, or class. The appeal of Kings speech is attributed, in part, to the universality of his message. By not limiting his fight to African Americans, Martin Luther King emerged to global acknowledgment as an inspirer and liberator to all ostracized groups, predominantly ethnic minorities. As Younge (2015) stated, the speech, I have a dream, sparked nonviolent protest that also included Caucasians, which led the civil rights movement that transformed African Americans lives. Martin held the conviction that all men and women are equal in Gods eyes and should enjoy the same privileges and rights.
What King wanted Changed in America
Through the speech, one can identify several things that King wanted to change in America. For instance, he wanted the black American community to be included in the development of the nation. This meant that they had to be able to vote, speak their minds, and progress in equal measure as the Caucasians. The concern for the ability of the black Americans to vote was a big concern for King (Euchner, 2010). In fact, King emphasized peaceful marches to achieve African Americans political goals. Indeed, these marches also focused on social and economic woes. Having been inspired by Gandhis pacifism credo, Martin Luther led both African Americans and non-African American marches all over America to call for social justice and racial equality. The two acts, the voting rights act and the civil rights act, are pre-eminent outcomes of Martin Luthers peaceful but pressing demands for racial equality and social justice. Currently, social movements, comprising Black Lives Matter, exploit the legacy of Martin Luther Kings pacifism by emphasizing police brutality against peaceful African Americans.
Kings resolve on peaceful protests arose from his devotion to the ideas of Gandhi Mahatma, pacifism alongside civil disobedience as a tactic to overthrow British rule in India. Naming of Martin Luther King Street in Calcutta, India is the evidence of the link between the two strands of dignified, peaceful, and dominant cause. There is a plethora of Martin Luther King public monuments in France, college Martin Luther King in Villiers-le-Bel.
Additionally, he wanted human rights to be observed for both Caucasians and black Americans alike. He believed that every man was equal, and wanted the world to have this perceptive as well. The ricochets of Kings acts of civil disobedience, marches, and protests echo in the U.S and beyond. The calls for public peace, social justice, and racial equality are all vital and continuing demands of a significant impact now. In retrospect, Kings contribution to the civil rights movement in the U.S is less about the emancipation of African Americans only but for all races. The legacy of Martin Luther Kings speech is universal for inspiring nonviolent protest, integration, liberation, and civil rights.
After the Speech
America came to appreciate the power of nonviolent protest because of Martin Luther Kings vision. His peaceful cause garnered empathy and support from the public to such a magnitude that set in motion the significant acts of Congressional power. Kings speech was chiefly responsible for the voting rights act of 1965 and the civil rights acts of 1964, which banned discrimination in public places and the workforce based on nation of origin, religion, color, and race. The speech likewise played a massive role in the passage of the Fair housing act of 1968, which precludes the general public from outlawing African Americans from renting or selling houses.
Debatably, King was intensely concerned with the ethical demands that surrounded issues of integration. He demonstrated that American societys goal is to build a community where all races have a sense of goodwill towards one another. Indeed, after the speech, American citizens found new respect and understanding for their differences. For King, the community needed to obey the laws of the land not because of their fear for punishment, but because such acts were morally right and embody the worthily ideal of integration. Kings speech facilitated the galvanization of the already rising civil-rights movement from the countries corner to corner at the time. It likewise developed to be one of the most inspirational and influential rhetoric pieces in the history of the United States. Additionally, Kings speech played a vital part in passing the 1964 civil rights act. The focal march from Selma to Montgomery that he led in 1965 would provide momentum for the later passage of the voting rights act.
Furthermore, the speech offered the needed inspiration for future generations to build their ideologies. After the Kings speech, there was a realization that was moving towards required racial equality solid desegregation policy, which was to abolish prohibitions and exclusions of the Jim Crow system. After the speech, members of Congress passed non-discriminative laws that were to avert discrimination in lending, employment, education, and housing. The government granted African Americans an unfettered right to hold political office and right to vote. Through persistent pressure on Congress and litigation, the civil rights movement abolished the hideous and terrifying race-based regime. Earlier, the reduction of African Americans was the law of the land in the south, and segregation against them was prevalent throughout the country. Then and present, several people realize this massive victory as the end of racial equality.
Arguably, the stirring words of King challenged Americans to live up to the democratic principles of its founders. King set out to do the slavery wrongs to be right, but his classic appeal had a resonance far broader than just the United States. Therefore, King inadvertently set off a global movement for racial liberation when he addressed the most excellent protest for freedom in the history of the United States. Tangible evidence of the long march King set off fifty years ago is present in the endless roads and public facilities around the world to which we append Kings name. Kings speech likewise served as a catalyst for the liberation and integration of the African-Americans into the conventional American society. The address served as a breakthrough in African-Americans fight for equality within American society. It also functioned as a tool that predicted African Americans as a force to be reckoned with within the American socio-political creation. The intended result of Martin Luther Kings speech was to transform American society and reposition African Americans for a healthier and more progressive future.
Importantly, after Kings speech, nations in Africa found a message in Kings plea for racial tolerance and his declaration that the chains of segregation and the manacles of segregation cripple African Americans lives. A highway is named after Martin Luther King is in Mpumalanga, South Africa, and a Luther King Road is in Lusaka, Zambia. Additionally, the struggle for independence in South Africa led by Mandela and Kings appeal to the goodness in African Americans relate. King dared the racists to dilute the meaning and significance of his speech. He appealed for fairness and tolerance by emphasizing the historical dimensions of the interminable African-Americans grievances left unsolved by the civil wars. Another significant contribution to the contemporary African American freedom struggle was to link African-Americans aspirations to superior, extensively shared egalitarian ideals. Kings speech inspired grassroots leaders to believe that their quest for social justice was just and in line with conventional American democratic values.
Unfortunately, the inclusion that King rallied for has not been implemented fifty years down the line. Inclusion has amounted to tokenism, whereby a group of few non-white elites is formed and integrated with several whites and coached to represent the progress of their respective groups symbolically. Arguably, such a practice has left most non-whites in politically powerless and socially marginalized factions. Justice necessitates that white Americans fully share power and decision-making with non-white Americans, erasing all signs of domination. Therefore, members of diverse racial groups must acknowledge their equal status and mutual dependence for justice to be seen as working in the U.S. Kings speech appealed against police beatings, and presently, African Americans are not just beaten by the police but sadly killed. American males of African origin are five times likely to be killed by police. The concern of unequal implementation of the law due to police officers perception is on the rise 50 years after the delivery of Kings speech. The fear of the police preconceptions has driven African-American families to internalize different lessons regarding their relationship with the law enforcers.
In conclusion, the I have a dream speech brought even greater attention to the civil rights movement that had been ongoing for several years. The address formed a more significant part of The Washington march to end the unequal treatment of the African-Americans. King delivered the statement in the shadow of Lincoln Memorial, the monument honoring President Abraham Lincoln for freeing southern states, slaves. It called attention to the terrible treatment of races considered inferior to the whites. It also motivated the Congress to work faster and pass the civil rights act that granted the African Americans platform to be treated equally as the white fellows.
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