Analysis of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" Speech

Introduction

This paper offers an assessment and analysis of the famous "I Have a Dream" speech as delivered by Martin Luther King Jr. The speech was given more than fifty years ago, yet it still resonates very strongly despite the passage of time and King's untimely death at the hands of an assassin. His speech came after the abolition of slavery following the Civil War and after the Brown v. Board of Education ruling, but just before the civil rights legislation that followed later in the 1960s. This paper evaluates the speech based on its content and related context. King was an obvious proponent of the founding documents and of the country itself, yet he also clearly believed that the freedom of Black Americans had not yet been secured.

King's Faith in the Founding Documents

King most definitely believed in the foundation of the United States, as he referred to the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence as "magnificent." However, he implicitly pointed out that what was written in those documents was not being lived out in practice. Indeed, it raises the question of why amendments were needed for women's suffrage, the citizenship and freedom of Black Americans, the voting rights of Black Americans, and so forth — when the founding documents made no mention of Black people being any different from white people, or women any different from men, when it came to freedom.

Even after slavery was eliminated as an institution, and even after the laws and norms permitting segregated schools were struck down, people still resisted and continued to treat Black Americans with contempt and as second-class citizens. This message is clearly at the core of what King was saying (American Rhetoric, 2016).

Confronting Racism Across the Nation

King minced no words when speaking about those who resisted and plotted against the freedom of Black Americans. His blunt reference to the "vicious racists" in Alabama is just one example. His condemnation was directed most sharply at the South, because that was where the epicenter of slavery and racism was most entrenched and most visible. However, he also mentioned regions of the country beyond the South — including New Hampshire, New York, and Pennsylvania, among others. He was clearly identifying the central problem while ensuring his critique was inclusive of the entire country, since the laws and stakes in question did, and still do, affect all Americans (American Rhetoric, 2016).

Conclusion: King's Enduring Legacy

King is gone, but his legacy lives on to this day. His resonating words still ring true, and there is a reason he has his own nationally observed holiday. What is deeply troubling is that distrust and racism remain alive and well, even as some of the more archaic attitudes continue to fade. The problem is that new forms of division seem to be emerging, and that trajectory needs to change. Some of the verbal and physical confrontations occurring today actively work against the progress King envisioned — and against the vision of all those who continue to carry on his fight.

References

Bedard, P. (2016). Study: Blacks with white friends are 'less black.' Washington Examiner. Retrieved 15 May 2016, from http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/study-blacks-with-white-friends-are-less-black/article/2546046

King Jr., M. (2016). Martin Luther King I Have a Dream Speech – American Rhetoric. americanrhetoric.com. Retrieved 15 May 2016, from http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm

King, J. (2013). Poll: 40% of white people only have white friends. Colorlines. Retrieved 15 May 2016, from http://www.colorlines.com/articles/poll-40-percent-white-people-only-have-white-friends