Comparison Paper
Lincoln to King: Values Held Strong The idea of what American values are has been fought over for centuries. The two most lasting documents of the stand for these values are Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, and Martin Luther King Jr.'s I Have a Dream speech. Both these inspiring speeches focus on the values of all men being created equal, and the unwavering will to achieve that goal. "What led Abraham Lincoln to make his "Gettysburg Address" or Martin Luther King Junior to give his "I Have A Dream" speech? Since even before becoming president, Lincoln was strictly against slavery. Lincoln had won the presidency only by a narrow margin, due to his anti-slavery standpoint. The southern states became unhappy with this decision, and soon after the question of “can a state leave the union” was raised. This idea of a state leaving the union was soon rejected and brought upon the civil war. January 1, 1863 the emancipation proclamation which “abolished slavery” had been issued by Lincoln. November 19, 1863 Lincoln gave the Gettysburg address four and a half months after the confederates defeat in Gettysburg. Inspired by Lincoln there came a man with a burning passion just as strong to take up the fight that was not finished 64 years ago. Brought up in a middle class family, Martin Luther King Junior experienced racism for the first time at the age of 6 when his white friend’s parents wouldn’t let him play anymore. At age 15, he got his first taste of equality when he went to work in the north and saw the whites mix peacefully with the Negroes. He then said “I have never [thought] a person of my race could eat anywhere.” This experience deepened his resentment towards racial segregation. He pursued a degree in law and medicine when he was accepted to Morehouse College in 1944. During his 4th year of college he was urged by his father to become a minister. Because of this, he attended the Crozer Theological Seminary, where he learned Gandhi's philosophy of