More than 50 years ago, on August 28th, 1963, thousands gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial to hear Martin Luther King Junior delivered a speech that would change history. King, a Baptist minister and Nobel Peace Prize winner, stood strong in front of America and addressed the discrimination and inequalities of African Americans. He begins the speech saying, "I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation" (King 86). King gives a preview of he is trying to accomplish by being there. He strongly speaks of a need for justice and encouraged nonviolent acts to get the outcome. Martin Luther King Jr. motivated a change and need for action with his words. In "I Have a Dream" Martin Luther King uses Aristotle's appeal of ethos to convince the audience that freedom and equal rights are the groundwork of this country and that there is a need for change. 

Martin Luther King Jr. uses the appeal of ethos, the appeal to authority and validity of the speaker, to convince the audience that he is qualified and is trustworthy to be speaking about civil rights. At the beginning of his speech, he says, "Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation" (87). King references Abraham Lincoln, one of the founding presidents of our country who fought for black equality. In using Lincoln as a reference he is using situated ethos. Lincoln is known as an intelligent and honest president therefore, the audience will believe that King also has the same values. The Emancipation Proclamation also has a great impact on the argument Martin Luther King Jr. is making, stating that the freedom of slaves is not enough, and that all African Americans must be free. King uses invented ethos by explaining the Emancipation Proclamation, as "a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared from the flames of withering injustice" (86). By giving a small background on the effects that this historic document had, he is convincing the audience that he also wants to be a "beacon of light" during this dark time of segregation and brutality (86). The location of where this momentous speech was given also has an effect on the ethos of the speech. Standing under the "shadow" of the Lincoln Memorial proves the audience that he is fighting for the same freedom and equality of man that Lincoln instilled. 

Martin Luther King Jr. also shows authority by using founding documents of our country. King states that the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence "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" (87).  King gains credibility by using a document that is trusted as the backbone of America. By mentioning the "unalienable Rights," his argument uses an instilled idea in our country to show that equality and freedom are for everyman regardless of race (87). Martin Luther King Jr. shows that equality is the backbone of our nation by saying, "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' (89). The founding fathers fought for the same equality that Martin Luther King Jr. is speaking about, which is credible for the audience. 

Although Martin Luther King Jr. mainly uses ethos in "I Have a Dream", Aristotle's three appeals are inclusive and are commonly uses together to construct a rhetorically convincing argument. In "I Have a Dream," King also uses logos and pathos to reiterate his point of injustice. Showing logos, deductive reasoning is used in his speech. King begins with the premise that "all men are created equal" and have a right to freedom (87).  Martin Luther King Jr. justifies that African Americans are men and should be treated with the same rights as whites. This leads the audience to deduce that if we are all men, then we all should have equal rights. This premise allows Martin Luther King Jr. to have this dream and deliver a convincing argument for justice. 

With the appeal of ethos, using authority to help your argument, pathos, the appeal to an audience's emotions, values, and morals is used along side. Aristotle's third appeal of pathos plays a major role in Martin Luther King Jr.'s iconic "I Have a Dream" speech. By using the statement "I have a dream," King appeals to the audience's emotions. King uses the idea of the American Dream as his own dream, calling on the audience's desire for the same hope and dreams they can also achieve. Martin Luther King Jr. applies pathos in his speech when he says, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but the content of their character" (89). By saying that he is a father who wants a better future for his children, he makes a personal connection to fathers, and ideally all parental figures. King also uses pathos when he says, "[w]ith this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day" (90). He uses the word "we" to connect the audience together and focus on unity in this fight for equality. This connection allows the audience to desire change and be truly influenced by his iconic speech. 

 Martin Luther King Jr.'s words spoken on the Lincoln Memorial sparked a change in the Civil Rights Movement. Over time "I Have a Dream" has been counted as one of the greatest rhetoric pieces because of its persuasive argument for justice. Martin Luther King Jr. uses ethos along with logos and pathos to demonstrate his authority, argument, and affect the audience. These three appeals help Martin Luther King Jr. fight for justice and ultimately change the course of equality for America. 

