Emancipation Proclamation Movement

On January 1, 1963 the Emancipation Proclamation was issued. The Proclamation explained how people who were being held as a slaves in the rebellious states were to be freed. The Proclamation allowed African-American men to be accepted into the Union Army and Navy. (U.S National Archives and Records Administration) Although this did not free all states it did give Americans a step in the right direction by showing that the war’s aim was also on fighting to end slavery. However, it was not something that changed it quickly but instead changed slightly over time. For example, in 1870 the 15th Amendment promised that any U.S. citizen could vote regardless of their race or color, however it wasn’t really realized until a century later. African-Americans

(New World Encyclopedia, 2015) This launched the organization of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, whose purpose was to protest the segregation of blacks and whites in public transportation. The boycott ended up lasting around 381 days. This helped support the civil war movement in a non-violent which is something that Martin Luther King Jr. mentioned in his speech.

The goal of Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech “I Have a Dream” was to bring everyone’s focus on how the discrimination needed to end immediately. The speech was to motivate the people to continue fighting for racial equality without violence being involved. Martin Luther King Jr. wanted everyone to fight for their freedom with dignity and with no wrongful deeds. People were beginning to become restless because they felt like nothing was really changing, therefore this speech helped motivate the people to continue boycotting and fighting for their equality and privileges they should be entitled