I have a dream…

Martin Luther King Jr. gave one of the most inspirational speeches of all time. His “I have a dream” speech is an example of powerful rhetoric that took place in American’s most influential city, Washington, on the steps of the Lincoln memorial. The vision of a strong black man standing on the steps of Washington delivering a speech to thousands of people would have been a powerful sight and increase King’s effectiveness as a speaker. The speech was a social statement that represented an entire population’s resistance to the ideologies of the time. Black people wanted to be treated as equals and exercised what little rights they had by gathering and protesting. A history of slavery laid the ground work for the resistance of blacks to segregation. King knew this about his people and choreographed his speech to incite that blacks everywhere demand change. He called his people to action in order to win the basic liberties of every other American citizen and united them under their common shared trials and tribulations. King did so in a way that suggested his people not run the streets in mayhem not rather rightfully and just fully insist they be treated fairly. His words were powerful and could not be ignored by anyone especially when he quoted the staples of our government, such as the Constitution and Declaration of Independence, which gave rights to not just white people but all people. Statements such as these were given even more power because of the location his speech was given from. King’s rhetoric was eloquently laid out and the repetition of “I have a dream” insisted that all black people should have a dream of equality as well.

King Jr., Martin Luther. I have a dream. Washington: D.C. August 28th, 1963. Retrieved from www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm.

Hart, R.P., & Daughton, S.M. (2005). Modern rhetorical criticism (3rd ed.). (pp. 42-53) Boston: Pearson Education.