What Was The Purpose Of I Have A Dream Speech

745 Words2 Pages

I Have a Dream was a speech given by Martin Luther King Jr. This speech was delivered on the afternoon of Wednesday, August 28, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The speech was intended for the 250,000 civil rights supporters that attended. The speech addressed the topic of equality for the African Americans and the White people. The purpose of the speech was to address the issues of segregation and racism as a whole. King speaks about the issues of racism and segregation in America during the 1960’s. He encourages the use of non-violent protests and to fight for equality to help America solve the issue.
King begins his speech by referencing important historical documents such as the Constitution of the United States and the Emancipation Proclamation. This is emphasized when he states, ”Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation...But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free”. Which shows how even though the Emancipation Proclamation freed the African Americans from slavery, they still are not free because of segregation. He then transitions to the injustice and suffering that the African Americans face. He makes this
The impact it had on America was that it gave the African Americans the courage to fight for their equality. We can learn from the speech that the segregation of the African Americans and Whites was a problem that affected both races. This was proven when 60,000 of the people who attended the speech were white. Dr. King’s speech impacts life today because if he did not do all of the protests and speeches that he did. It could have taken a lot longer for us to have the equality that we have today. Even though we are still not completely equal today. We still have laws that protect

Open Document