Martin Luther King's Most Famous Speech, I Have A Dream

What determines if a period is beneficial or not? What key figures, events, and changes contribute to it? In American history, there exist many controversial time periods, and the years between 1962 and 1973 is one of them. There were great accomplishments during the period; however, there were setbacks as well. Although murder rate increased dramatically during the era, the period was mostly beneficial for the country because technology and popular culture prospered, protesters spoke up for their beliefs, and minorities gained more civil rights.

Murder rate increased exponentially, and even President JFK and Senator Robert Kennedy were assassinated during the years between 1962 and 1973. People’s mood seemed to be stirred more than ever

Delivered in August 1963, Martin Luther King’s most famous speech, I have a dream, was extremely influential and powerful, and it became a milestone of racial equality movements. King addressed the central idea--all people are created equal--passionately in the speech (Doc 7). His strong demands of racial equality and social justice became the mantra for African Americans. Moreover, his influential speech is as familiar to subsequent generations as the words in the Declaration of Independence. Not only did his contemporaries admired him, but when people nowadays look back to the history, they also honor and respect what King had done for African Americans. As a result of King and other leaders’ hardworks, President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act in 1964; King was there to witness the great moment. The two men held each other’s hand, marking a great victory and major improvement in the civil rights movements (Doc 12). It outlawed discriminations based on race, sex, color, religion, or national origin, ending segregation in schools and giving everyone right to vote. The landmark piece not only benefitted people during the era, but has also been making profound impacts on people of subsequent generations. Its far reaching consequences must be considered a beneficial aspect of the years between 1962 and 1973. In addition to black rights, poor and less privileged people in general got the attention from the government and the president. Believing that money could gave poor people chances to get education and become successful, President Johnson was engaged in fighting poverty. He had a great vision for America’s future: a Great Society with education for all and without racial injustice (Doc 10). Admiring FDR’s New Deal programs, Johnson launched a set of domestic programs--job training, government aid--aiming at improving poor people’s