MLK King "I Have a Dream" Martin Essay

Total Length: 652 words ( 2 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 2

Page 1 of 2

MLK

King "I Have a Dream"

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech is one of the most famous oratories in American history. The speech is delivered during the heart of the Civil Rights Movement, during a labor rights march in Washington D.C. In which millions of Americans were beginning to realize how fractured their country was, and how injustice and inequity were tearing it apart along an artificial racial divide. King states, "It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality."[footnoteRef:1] [1: King, Martin Luther Jr. "I Have a Dream."]

To inspire his audience, King uses a series of impassioned arguments that hearken to the heart of what it means to be an American. Quoting from the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights as well as from national songs such as the last line of "America the Beautiful," King cries, "let freedom ring!"

The end of the speech is particularly uplifting.
Here, King lists a series of dreams using a repetitive structure that draws attention to the speaker. He dreams about peace and prosperity in the rural poor communities of the Deep South -- the places where freedom has never rung before. The darkest deepest secrets of American society are being unearthed.

King understands the need to keep the civil rights movement peaceful, to help fulfill the dreams he describes. Directly mentioning the militant black nationalism movements sprouting up around the country, King states, "The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers…have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny."[footnoteRef:2] This common destiny is the freedom and equity that King refers to in his speech. [2: King, Martin Luther Jr. "I Have….....

Show More ⇣


     Open the full completed essay and source list


OR

     Order a one-of-a-kind custom essay on this topic


sample essay writing service

Cite This Resource:

Latest APA Format (6th edition)

Copy Reference
"MLK King I Have A Dream Martin" (2012, November 24) Retrieved June 27, 2025, from
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/mlk-king-dream-martin-106810

Latest MLA Format (8th edition)

Copy Reference
"MLK King I Have A Dream Martin" 24 November 2012. Web.27 June. 2025. <
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/mlk-king-dream-martin-106810>

Latest Chicago Format (16th edition)

Copy Reference
"MLK King I Have A Dream Martin", 24 November 2012, Accessed.27 June. 2025,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/mlk-king-dream-martin-106810