Dr. Martin Luther Kings “I Have a Dream” Overview Free Essays

â€Å"I Have a Dream Speech† continues to resonate with people all ever the world. These are the reasons why: 1 . We’re getting there, but the work is far from done People of all races still strive for equality. We will write a custom essay sample on Dr. Martin Luther Kings â€Å"I Have a Dream† Overview or any similar topic only for you Order Now As far as we’ve come, we still have a long way to go. The speech never gets old, instilling in us the powerful idea of brotherhood and that as diverse as we are, we are one. 2. A lesson In leadership Through his words, MILK Jar. Gave voice to the voiceless. Through his deeds he gave courage to the faint of heart. Through it all, he taught us the power of love and humanity. . We yearn for unwavering examples of human integrity MILK Jar. Endured the humiliation of arrest, the loneliness of a prison cell, and constant threats to his life which was ultimately sacrificed. In an era of false heroes and the all-too-common occurrence of being let down by those we once held In high esteem, we need people to look up to, to aspire to be and who make us say, â€Å"l want to be Like them!. † 4. Motivation to Inspire others The way King went about affecting change is a leadership and linguistic lesson in how to move mountains. The speech is one of the greatest examples of what we can do when we act on our hearts, and it gave us a benchmark to strive for: a country that acts on its own ideals and measures itself against how it treats its least fortunate. 5. A shining example of how one person can move others to action The speech reinforces that change begins with us and that any one of us can help transform the world. Martin Luther King, Jar. , one man, did nothing less than Inspire a nation to transform itself and begin living up to the meaning of its creed. 6. Economic injustices still exist Much is said about today’s economic â€Å"winners and losers. MILK,Jar. Deplored the idea that businesses should exploit workers by failing to pay a decent wage or laying off dedicated employees to squeeze more profits. Today’s Occupy Wall Street Movement Is one example of Just how passionate people still are about these Issues. 7. We have large-scale unemployment King believed human dignity could be re stored with federal works programs that trained and placed unemployed workers. This thinking still informs our current dilemma about what it will take to restore people’s livelihoods and dignity amidst the longest, deepest, global recession in a generations. . A reminder to serve others We too can strive to be better, serving our nation and our fellow brothers. It Is easy to implicated society. Martin Luther King, Jar. Inspired us to reach out to others in greater need. 9. Serves as a powerful presentation to our children about prejudice The speech is an influential classroom tool that still resonates with children today. Kids aren’t huge fans of black and white video clips, but it doesn’t take long for the magnificent words and charisma of King to transcend the limitations of any media. 0. We require reminders that make us look into our souls The United States believes it is a land in which strength is defined not simply by the capacity to wage war but by the d etermination to forge peace. The speech forces us to face these ideals and is still helpful today as we look in the mirror to determine if we like what we see. 11. It helps the rest of the world fight discrimination Fighting for what is right and Just are basic human impulses, yet oftentimes they are difficult to act on. The world has a long way to go before eradicating racial hatred, discrimination, segregation and ethnic strife. Anything that inspires people to action is a plus, let alone such a shining example as the â€Å"l Have a Dream† speech. 12. Powerfully reinforces the notion that progress is possible It is so easy to become assassinated, discouraged, disengaged and even depressed with the state of affairs in our society, our government and our world. Voter apathy is rampant. We need the â€Å"l Have a Dream Speech† to remind us of our better selves and all that we still aspire to be. Correct Scott King said â€Å"all Americans who believe in freedom, tolerance and human rights have a responsibility to oppose bigotry and prejudice,† including against sexual orientation. She institutionalized Martin Luther King’s â€Å"philosophy, his principles of nonviolence and his methodology of social change,† and helped push it forward. These worthy causes still exist today. Progress is being made, but it is up to each one of us to carry them forward, no matter how small or how large the gestures. We are busy, time is short and for most of us, the daily challenges are great. But we all must do our part. Why does Martin Luther King Jar have a holiday? Doctor King led the civil rights movement in the US. Taking his philosophy from Gandhi, he determined that the movement would be nonviolent†¦ At least from the point of the African American point. You see, in those times the Jim Crow laws were in effect. Schools were black and white, bus stops were segregated, even drinking fountains were labeled â€Å"white† and â€Å"colored†. While the Civil War had officially ended slavery, the black citizens were treated as second class citizens. They had to pay to vote, get up on a bus when a white passenger wanted their seat, wait to eat if there were not enough seats labeled â€Å"colored† at a lunch counter, in essence they were still treated as slaves. In the US, the laws had changed, but the attitudes had not. There was a small minority who still thought that people of color were not equal. They had been slaves, were stupid, and did not deserve the rights that white people had. Of the other people, most Just never thought about it. They lived their lives and didn’t think about how the black person felt trying to raise his/her family in dignity. Ere public and then pointed out that these people were war heroes, entertainers, and public servants. In short, he made white people face the very real fact that they were no better or worse than the African Americans and that they needed to change the laws†¦ And attitudes. It was a very troubling time in the US. There was news coverage from the national televi sion services showing peaceful African Americans protesting and being attacked by the police with water cannon, dogs, and the police themselves. We saw the footage from Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and were outraged. When Dry. King was assassinated, the country was shocked and dismayed. Laws were changed in short order, and the nation became more aware how it treated it’s citizens. Some short years later, the unofficial celebration of Dry. King’s birthday became a national holiday. The reason is that his was the most influential contribution to civil rights in the US in the 20th century. We remember his contributions on that day, and celebrate the man ho had the courage to speak out against laws which made second class citizens of a large minority of US citizens. Thoughts: In this persuasive speech which may be the best speech ever given. There are so many powerful points. The two things that stick out to me the most are the quotes â€Å"l have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be Judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. † Also, the quote â€Å"And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able o speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to Join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, â€Å"Free at last! Ere at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last! † (Martin Luther King Jar. ) The pure eulogy, rhetorical use, intellectuality, and genuine thoughts were conveyed in such a way throughout the speech that a person could not help, but take notice and be at the mercy of the history that was made that day. Dry . King said they were going to cash a check. This was not a check in the literal means, but the metaphorical representation of something that was promised to them, and that promise was not fulfilled. How to cite Dr. Martin Luther Kings â€Å"I Have a Dream† Overview, Papers