LAD/Blog #27: MLK, Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech

In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech in support of the passing of the Civil Rights Act. Three months later, the bill was passed, granting African Americans protection and the right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness. King's speech was widely considered successful in influencing the passing of the bill. His use of biblical analogies gave Americans a moral conviction to support the bill. King called brotherhood the solid rock among the quicksands of injustice, referencing Psalm 18:2 and the hymn "On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand", who's lyrics state "on Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand". He also used Amos 5:24, "But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream"; Isaiah 40:4-5, "Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain"; and Galatians 3:28, "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is their male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus". The crafting of King's argument around these verses solidified its credibility in the eyes of Americans. 

    Martin Luther King Jr.'s trademark line "I have a dream" is repeated with his use of anaphora to impact his listeners. My favorite line of this section is "I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together". 

The Emancipation Proclamation was passed a century before the "I have a dream speech". It gave African American's freedom from slavery.