Preview

Martin Luther King I Have A Dream Essay

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
628 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Martin Luther King I Have A Dream Essay
In Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's I Have A Dream speech, he caters to the creativity and the problems of the nation by presenting his goal as a dream. His dream, or goal, was to abolish the segregation of the 1960’s. Dreams are most commonly seen as the goals, aspirations, and lifestyles that we hope for ourselves. Dr, King wanted the people to see that he wasn’t going to sugarcoat any of the terrible treatments or misconducts placed on the black community. He knew that what he was working towards was just a dream of that time. But he also wanted to show that dreams can come true.
Although we still struggle with some cases of segregation and racism, it doesn’t reach the level of destruction of Dr. King’s time. Throughout the course of his speech,
…show more content…
They are a promise to people that seek to be a part of the United States. King clearly states, “This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men,...” There shouldn’t be a line or any sort of criteria any person must meet to be granted such rights. The importance of those promises aren’t honored as King states. Many of the people of the nation gave themselves the power and right to grant or decline those rights to people. In King’s words, it “has defaulted on this promissory note.”
He wanted us to honor and abide by the truths and see what the outcome could be. His dream could become a reality if we opened our eyes and see that the rights of the black community were in jeopardy. Because those rights are in a hole, the time to make changes, the time to make dreams come true are now.
There will always be problems of segregation. THere will always be an issue of power hungry people. But if we have to tenacity and the ambition like that of Dr. King, we won’t be in a place where we have to fight for something that is ours. Being from a minority race, there is always going to be people that will try to keep you from something that is rightfully yours. But, that should never be a reason that you stop trying. A person is a person, no matter their color or

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    While King was giving the speech he included himself as being discriminating against. He stated some as simple as being on the bus and how he was thrown to the back because he was African American. King knew that if a person that has gone through the struggle of being treated differently, there would someone else just like him with the same struggle that would have his back. And gain supporters to stop racism, and make racism something people hate to see not join in. Martin Luther King Jr knew that non-violent protests is the way to go if you’re trying to make a…

    • 509 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    King was disappointed with the unfair treatment of blacks during that time, he was determined to make a stand for what was right. He wanted what was written in the Emancipation Proclamation to be a reality for Negroes. Dr. King said that “when the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men would be guaranteed the “unalienable Rights” of Life”, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The reason he was willing to sacrifice his life was because America has fallen short in fulfilling this goal for people of color. We as black people today are happy that Dr. King and many others refused to “believed that the bank of justice is bankrupt.” Since this is the land of opportunity and freedom, we refused to accept this negative fate. Dr. King said that “we’ve come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.”…

    • 856 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In 1896, segregation began when the Supreme Court deemed segregation legal on the terms of “separate but equal”. The truth of the matter was that America was separate, but unequal. People were growing weary of the discrimination, humiliation, and degradation blacks had faced since the day they were stolen from Africa, so, in the 1950’s, the famous Civil Rights Movement began. As one would expect, such a monumental revolution had influential leaders; however, it is to be noted that some leaders had very different points of view, like the staggering contrast between Dr.Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X’s ideas.…

    • 1550 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Dr. King also appeals to the sympathetic side of the clergymen when he tells them why his cause cannot ‘wait’ for their ‘constitutional God-given rights”. He goes on to write of why it would be easy for those who never experienced segregation to say wait, but for those who have experienced segregation, it is difficult to wait. Dr. King explains that those who experience segregation find it hard to wait after seeing witness their mothers, fathers lynched by mobs, their brothers and sisters drowned, and beaten and even killed by police officers. And how it feels…

    • 938 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    After the March on Washington fifty-two years ago civil rights activist Dr. Martin King Jr. delivered for the first time his "I Have a Dream Speech" at the Lincoln Memorial. During the speech, Dr. King offered inspiration and called for an end to racism in America. In fact, he spoke on his personal hopes and dreams for people of all races in his country. One of his hopes was that one day people of color would be judged based off their character, rather than their skin color. As for his dream that he expressed in speech, it was that a day would come that colored people and whites could unite and see one another as equals.…

    • 1470 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dr. King rhetoric essay

    • 750 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Dr. King was a well-known civil rights activist, he left behind many examples within his speeches of how he believed we as a community could change the world for the better. He worked diligently to end segregation and reduce the amount of hatred. Even today we still experience discrimination in our everyday lives but not to the extent during his time. Change is hard for people to accept no matter how small or how large. In Dr. King’s I Have a Dream speech, Letter from Birmingham Jail, and Why We Can’t Wait he vividly expresses his feelings towards the problems facing his community and gives solutions to solve them.…

    • 750 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    had giving out the “I have a dream” speech was equal rights. Although they had passed the Constitution and declaration of independence which had promised rights of life, liberty, and happiness they were not provided with any of those following rights. They still were abused, lynched by white people, and unable to fully exercise their right to vote. According to the speech, “I had a dream” it says, “When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” This shows that even though the declaration of independence and the constitution was passed, they were still treated the same. They had allowed African Americans to vote, but Caucasians began to lynch them to intimidate other African Americans. They still did not receive any rights that white people got such as the rights the vote, be segregated, and more.…

    • 562 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    King constantly uses the phrase I have a dream as a signification of the dream he saw in the future. He painted a visual picture of a better future for color in America. A dream is contemplating the possibility of doing something or that something might be the case(). King saw in the future that now African Americans can joins hands with Caucasian people in school and churches. King also knew in the future that we could use the bathrooms together at public places. Not to go too deep, But I believe with him being a revered God did reveal to him in a dream the new future the United States would hold. I also believe that if Dr. King was still alive today he wouldn't take all the credit, but give it all to God by following his plan. By following God's plan slavery was abolished and the United States is no longer in…

    • 928 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    He wanted peace for everyone and getting through with that using tension, but non-violence. He needed a tension that would force society to see the social injustice. MLK stated, “...there is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth.” (King). It is common knowledge that MLK wrote letters from Birmingham while in solitary confinement. This shows just how strongly he felt about this topic and the people he was trying to support. He took his readers seriously and took thought to their point of view. King tried to directly connect with the readers and supporters of this letter by giving an example of injustice in his life. He explained how the Negro community is still waiting for their constitutional rights and the segregation that was still occurring after 340 years, and how he had to explain to his kids why colored people get treated so differently than white…

    • 466 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Our world today is much different from the world Martin Luther King Jr. experienced. He had to go through some things that fortunately people my age will never have to face. Today we do not fight for the right to drink at certain water fountains nor do we have assigned seats on city buses. People do not worry about the Ku Klux Klan burning down their churches and killing their kids simply because they hate the color of that person’s skin. It is so sad to see how superficial those people were before, during, and after Martin Luther King’s impact on segregation. He states in the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” that time is valuable, complacency is just as bad as hatred, and sometimes extremism is a good thing.…

    • 677 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Anything is possible if you put your mind to it” said Marty Mcfly from blockbuster hit Back to the Future. If people gave up every time they believed something was impossible, then the world would be a very different place. Progress would never be made, and our society would never develope. Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything. Racism and segregation was once this idea of a perfect world and seen as a good thing. Our world has come a long way, because of historical figures who conquered the word impossible. Racism and segregation would be a major issue, but black historical figures took a stand against it unintentionally. A law and idea that was permanently encoded in the minds of society seemed impossible to change. Jackie Robinson, Ernie Davis, and Rosa Parks opposed segregation and racism by triumphing over what was once impossible.…

    • 1311 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Doing so will allow room to understand the struggle others face fighting for their rights. This was a major topic raised in Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, where he reached out to white clergymen who had criticized his civil disobedience protest methods as counter-productive. In the letter, Dr. King reminded his fellow clergymen that at the time, the city of Birmingham, Alabama was a pariah of racial injustice, having recently elected yet another pro-segregationist mayor. After countlessly being told to “wait” for racial equality to manifest, King states that it is necessary to take nonviolent direct action, since “’wait’ almost always means ‘Never’” and that “justice too long delayed is justice denied” (King, 311). King also reminds the clergymen that black people have endured enough social hatred and injustice at the hands of white society, often at a loss to explain the situation to young black children (King, 312). Thanks to King’s efforts, along with those of white allies, the Civil Rights Act would be signed into law, abolishing segregationist Jim Crow…

    • 747 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    However, even after slavery was eliminated, cultural segregation still remained and remains to this very day. As such, memories of ill treatment were still fresh in the mind of King as he wrote the speech, “the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination”. This strong acknowledgement of heritage within the African American people as whole is a testament to in inherent sense of belonging they feel as an individual people. But, therein lies the problem, they are still an individual people. They yearn to become part of the greater American community; however, they are limited in this regard due to the abhorrent treatment of their…

    • 1377 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Without Dr. King Whites wouldn't have school with Blacks, Mexicans, Asians or anyone else who had a different skin color. That would affect Whites lives almost as much as theirs sure Whites wouldn't have known different, but today we do know. Almost all of my friends aren't White including my BFF, Madeline. If it weren’t for Dr. King we would still live in a racist, snobby world to a much greater extent than we already do. Dr. King gave Blacks the rights they deserved and gave me as well as many others a large diversity to experience, to tolerate, and to live with. Sure, if I were Black his impact on my life would have been greater, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t change my life or anyone else's for the better. No matter how small or how large Dr. King impacted everyone’s life, no…

    • 1225 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Dr. Martin Luther King was leading the fight alongside a scheme in which he saw his people as second class citizens. A society that would “lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim” (EMP, Rachel’s 153); this is the system he was struggling against. His objective, on the other hand, was to carry fairness to people universally, and to display that he could do it minus the fierceness. Kings request for non-violence and his movements through civil disobedience put him and his supporters on the right high ground during the course of the Civil Rights…

    • 1241 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays