Impact of I Have A Dream Speech Essay Example

Martin Luther King and his I Have A Dream speech was one of the most important and most famous quotes in the world. Martin Luher King was also one of the main reasons whites and blacks are together without the Jim Crow Laws. His i have a dreem speech was not just a normal peech.  but it was a speech that would help change the world for the better as we know it today. Martin Luther King Jr. or MLK for short made the successful I Have A Dream speech on August 28th 1963. The speech was and still is one of the best speeches in history, But how did this speech come into play and change society, And besides his speech, who is he?

We start off in the years before the MLK speech. Martin Luther King was born on January 15th 1929- April 4th 1968. He was born as Martin Luther King, but later on he had it changed to just Martin. Growing up life was hard for Martin because he was born during the Jim Crow law. The Jim Crow law kept blacks and whites seperated. This was called segregation. Martin had his first experience at age 6 of segregation when he was told he could not play with his white friend anymore, his father would not allow it.   Around the time of MLK's speech John F Kennedy was in office as our president.  He recognized that only a strong civil rights bill can promote protection among African Americans. On june 11th 1963 he proposed such a bill to congress. Congress took it into consideration. Also during this time was when MLK had a large group of people supporting him. People wanted him to tell them the “dream.” and that he did.   “A dream of all people, of all races and colors and backgrounds, sharing in an America marked by freedom and democracy.” 

As we know Martin's speech served a purpose, A purpose that some people loved and some people hated. This was the time when whites and blacks were seperated, Blacks being treated unfairly and called dirty, not getting similar education with whites. Them having to sit on the back of the bus and, unable to vote. While whites were treated like kings and queens, they were able to vote, they had good education, they had good jobs and could go places blacks couldn't. During this time education was extremely different. Blacks didn't get to go to fancy schools with fancy chairs and text books. While whites on the other hand had an extremely good education, they also got judged based on race (1) “I have a dream that one day my four little children won't be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” The speech was one of a kind. 

(1)“August 28th, 1963” 

The people that didn't follow Martin's speech did not follow it because they didn't want to be together with blacks. They didn't want to be side by side in the same building or in the same restaurant with them. It was actually the same way with blacks. Some of them did not want to be with whites. This later changed society by having us together drastically not Only with Martin Luther King’s speech “I Have A Dream,” but with Rosa Parks not giving up her seat on the front of the bus for a white male, This late gave a spark to the civil rights movement. She's also named the mother of the civil right movement, But Rosa Parks was not the only black women to not give her seat up in march 1955 a black girl named claudette colvin 

Other events followed that captured my attention and others' attention in history to  Martin Luther king’s speech. In 1950 he led a movement to end segregation. Through his leadership the civil rights movement opened its doors to education and employment,

That had been closed for a long time for black americains. 

Just label his key points, write one page on each

Talk about his movement, how it affected anything today, maybe even compare it to malcolm

Martin was a highly powerful figure all along the Civil rights movement. 

He proved to be impetus in helping the rise to become as successful as it was 

The reason the Civil Rights movement was started was due to multiple years of unfairness among races, segregation and hate of African Americans in the USA mainly in the deep south. African Americans knew they deserve equal rights to everyone else. They decide to start a movement that became one of the most important and notable in history.

The movement took over 30 years to have any kind of major impact. It featured many key figures. King was one of the most well known figures and caused the most impact, as he led the role as president of the SCLC (Southern  Christian Leadership Conference). The main reason that got the Civil rights movement into play was the Rosa Parks arrest on December 1st 1955. On December 1st 1955 Parks refused to give up her seat to a white male, she was arrested, those days busses were divided, Blacks would sit in the back, whites would sit in the front.further understanding of this boycott (Bus boycott) A pamphlet written by Jo ANN Robinson helps to further understand the boycott. The pamphlet was made by the black community which was sick of being treated by whites. The pamphlet encouraged not to ride the busses according to the danger of riding them. The rejection of the citieds busses resulted in King in being the main leader of the movement. The boycott lasted over a year, And not only King was leading it, but he was also ending it. When the boycott ended the US court ruled in favor of desegregation busses. During that year there were many threats and incidents that were targeted at King. His house was firebombed while giving a speech. Thankfully King and his wife and children were safe. This did not prevent a group of angry black men going around Kings house to solve the situation. King began to realise the importance of his protest, he said in a calm voice 

“We are not advocating violence. We want to love our enemies. I want you to love our enemies. Be good to them. This is what we must live by. We must meet hate with love.” 

Despite the calm protests King was arrested on various moments.

He was arrested in 1963 for anti segregation demonstrations. He was arrested because he was breaking Alabama's law against “mass public demonstrations.” His arrest led to a letter that was known as his famous “Letter from Birmingham City Jail. It was written primarily as his reaction to the religious leader's trouble and hatred of his campaign. He made sure to point out the letter would have been shorter if He was sitting at a comfy desk instead of being stuck in a jail cell with his thoughts and time. According to the letter the African community was being impatient and that the campaign was “extreme” King was furious, so he wrote “For years I always had to hear the word “Wait!” When I heard that, I knew that “Wait” usually always meant never. People wanted to see a change so they acted upon it. This led to big steps forward in the March of Washington and civil rights movement by Martin Gaining more followers the march gained attention from people all over the country 200 thousand people showed up in support of Martin's I Have a Dream speech it still stands out today 

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

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!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of “interposition” and “nullification” — one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and 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.”  Martin Luther King Jr.: The Civil Rights Movement – StMU Research Scholars (stmuscholars.org)

On April 4th 1968, at 6:05 pm thursday. Martin was shot dead while standing on his balcony on hs second floor room holtel in Memphis tennessee. News of his assasination all hell broke loose violence, resulting in more than 40 deaths nationwide and extensive damage to over 100 american cities. A man named James Earl Ray who was a 40 year old escaped fugitive confessed to the crime of shooting King. He was sentenced to a 99 year prison term. During the king's funeral a tape recording was played. In Kings voce he spoke of how he wanted to be remembered of his death “I'd like somebody to mention the day of Martin Lther King Jr. tried to give his life to serving others” (King, “Drum Major Instinct “ (Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. | The Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and Education Institute (stanford.edu).