Martin Luther King I Have A Dream Speech Analysis

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a prominent civil rights advocate, delivered his “I Have A Dream” speech during the March on Washington in 1963. In his noteworthy speech, King exposed the American public to the oppression and injustice of racial inequality that African Americans have endured throughout the last century. Dr. King’s urgency for change emphasized the importance of freedom for every man, woman, and child in the country. His life’s dedication was to put an end to racism, segregation, and discrimination on the basis of race. King’s speech called for equal treatment among all Americans, not just African Americans, and underlined the significance of unity as one nation. Dr. King alluded to Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation as one of the most important documents in U.S. history. As King stated, “This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice.” This quote demonstrates how the Emancipation Proclamation freed all of America’s slaves from the brutality and injustice that was brought upon them. After this decree, African Americans were now granted with full U.S. citizenship, but were still severely discriminated. This allusion signified the obstacles that former slaves were still facing after the end of slavery. As expressed by Dr. King, “It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.” The proclamation from President Lincoln was their light at