Assignment 4: I had a Dream

       The year is 1963. Discrimination, prejudice, and hatred were abundant while compassion was scarce. In the midst of a confused America, very few voices stood clear. One of the most prominent was that of Martin Luther King Jr's. In a call for peace and tolerance, he delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech to a crowd of over 250000 during a rally in Washington.

       In 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation ended all slavery in the United States. 100 years later, African Americans were still subject to a unique form of slavery- separate but "equal" facilities had been declared unconstitutional less than a decade ago, and the principles were beginning to take effect. The Little Rock Nine were escorted to an all-white school by the National Guard in 1957, Ruby Bridges attended her new school in New Orleans in 1960. Protests for these actions were rampant, and King speaks on the hatred revolving around them.

     Hailed as one of the greatest speeches of the 20th Century and all time, "I Have a Dream" speaks out against the injustices of discrimination as well as a new American Dream, one where every person of every color would be able to call each other brothers, one where no child should have to feel outcasted for simply being human, and one where character is more important than anything you were born with. This speech, the 16th of 18 during the rally, would cause a mass uproar from the crowd. The audience's massive and obvious support helped push through the Kennedy Administration's civil right bill.