On August 28th 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. gave the famous "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln memorial in Washington D.C. He addressed the nation on the need for change and for civil rights activists across the nation. He spoke to a country that was wrought with prejudice and racism, in dire need of change. He expressed his hopes and dreams for a reformed America, a country that would be rooted in equal rights for all mankind. Through the "I have a dream speech", MLK inspired Africans Americans across the country to seize the freedom and equal rights they so deserved and gave rise to a powerful, rejuvenated Civil Rights movement.

Leading up to the March on Washington, the Civil Rights movement had been steadily gaining momentum through numerous sit-ins, boycotts, and "freedom rides". However, it was still lacking the national exposure that was crucial to the beginning of political discussions. The civil rights movement was underway 10 years before the march on Washington. The march on Washington brought the civil rights movement to the forefront of the national media. This positive press coverage had a positive effect on the audience and supporters of the movement. "But the legacy of that day endured and increased popular support for the civil rights movement. In the months and years that followed, the march helped sustain and strengthen the work of those who continued to commit themselves to the ongoing struggle for social justice." (American History) The author speaks of the profound effect the speech had on the nation, resulting in its lasting impact. By gaining momentum and many new supporters old manuscripts and heroes of the movement where dusted off and brought to light.

The speech brought on strong emotions from both ends of the spectrum. On one hand, supports felt compelled to rise up and join the movement while the opposition was angered to the point of violence. The speech earned both the civil rights movement and segregationists many new followers. Times of social change push activists to their limits resulting in a tragedy in Birmingham, Alabama "Just two weeks after the march, on September 15, 1963, white supremacists planted a bomb under the steps of the 16th Street Baptist Church" (American History). The bombers were in fear of the social change and primitively resulted to violence. This shows that the civil rights movement was making leeway, because if they were not successful they would not be feared. 

There is a reason why the "I have a dream speech," continues to impact the world fifty-two years after it debut. The message it gives is immortal, timeless in its relevancy and its ideas. King demands equality, justice and peace; concepts that sadly the world is still fighting for today. He demands change, immediate change, arguing that the racial injustices in the country had gone on long enough. It is no surprise that King was frustrated: ten years the movement had been underway and no substantial political or legislative action had been made.

King's speech with its "soaring rhetoric demanding racial justice and an integrated society" became the mission statement of the Civil Rights movement, serving as a "mantra for the black community" (Edwards).  Designed to stun a nation, the speech was more than successful. King's speech inspired thousands on that day, and millions thereafter. It is still revered as one of the greatest speeches ever written, and is regarded as a work of poetry. 

The speech drew from sources that are deeply rooted in American culture such as the Gettysburg Address, the Declaration of Independence and the Bible (Edwards). The incorporation of these texts was ironic because it showed that the ideas that King was exclaiming were not radical or extreme but rather were ideas that America was founded on, ideas that were inherently part of its dogma. He was presenting an ideal world that was apparently supposed to exist, according to these reputable sources.

The speech itself is divided into two parts: the first describes a racist country in desperate need of change while the second described the America in which this necessary change is realized, a country with a "fairer future of racial harmony and integration" (Edwards). These two spectrums depict the present and future and King's plea for the present to become the past. King's choice to separate these parts makes the speech easy to follow and memorable, key components for a speech that needed to be spread across a nation and to reach the ears of prejudice and racism.

In the first half, King remarks on the place in which they have all gathered for this just cause: "We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now" (King). He calls it a hallowed spot and rightly so, as it was Abraham Lincoln who liberated the slaves, blazing the trail for future African Americans to claim their stake in America. It is fitting that they return to his memorial for a fight against the enslavement of their rights and their freedom. It is a testament to the first true Civil Rights activist. 

King goes on to say that "now is the time to make real the promises of democracy" (King). He says that he and fellow African Americans "will not be satisfied" unless those and other promises are fulfilled (King). He calls for justice, desegregation, and voting rights. Most opposition to the Civil Rights movement said that King's demands were too high and too ambitious. In reality, King was merely asking for the basic human rights promised by the Constitution. He is merely asking to be considered equal amongst all men.

In the second half, contains probably the most famous series of lines in the history of speech writing. He tells the world of a dream he had of a world in which justice and freedom reign. King paints a beautiful picture of an ideal America where all colors of skin can live cohesively and peacefully. He preaches of an America that lives up to its doctrines: "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed   'We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal.'" (King). This part of the speech is the most moving because it comes from a raw emotion, desire for something more.

Soon after King's speech was the passing of two of the most important documents in the history of the Civil Rights Movement "The passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965  the two bills outlawed segregated public facilities and prohibited discriminatory practices in employment and voting." (American History). The buzz around the civil rights movement due to his speech are strong factors for why the bills passed in the United States. 

Probably the most noteworthy thing about King's speech is that it was "not a legal brief on the intricacies of the civil rights movement in America, nor an intellectual treatise on the plight of black people" (Edwards). Rather it was a passionate plea for a reformed nation rooted in equality and freedom. It was a "fervent emotional sermon, forged out of the language and spirit of democracy" (Edwards). It was meant to inspire, not lecture. It was meant to give courage to a people so downtrodden by prejudice and racism. It was meant as a peaceful battle cry, announcing to the world that the injustices that had so far been tolerated were not to be taken lightly. King was successful in his attempts to unify the movement, resulting in the rejuvenation of the civil rights movement as a whole.

