Near the end of the American Civil War, Congress had passed legislation, most notably the 14th Amendment to protect the rights of racial minorities in the United States. The 14th Amendment changed the definition of American citizenship to everyone born in the US regardless of race, which soon led to the 15th Amendment which, in theory, stated that voting rights could not be denied based on rights. Following the war, Reconstruction had favored African Americans positively up until the Compromise of 1877, provided the presidency to the north, assuming that the south handle their own affairs, especially with regards to the treatment of African Americans. The welfare of African Americans would not be revisited again by the Federal government until after World War II, beginning the Civil Rights Movement and the era Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., one of the most prominent orators of this time. In the summer of 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. prepared one of the greatest speeches in American history, “I Have a Dream.” During his speech, Dr. King focused on a number of contextual references: history, religion, and culture through the innovative use of content (symbolism and repetition of important phrases) that held strong conviction and inspiration with the American people.
Near the opening of his speech, he began by saying “Fivescore years ago, a great American [Abraham Lincoln], in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation.” In Abraham Lincoln’s epic speech, he started in a similar fashion: “Four scores and seven years ago” (1776). Using similar wording as a speech by Abraham Lincoln, King was able to signify the fact that “I have a Dream” is and should be regarded with prominence like Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation and the Gettysburg Address. Next, King talked about the 100 years following the Emancipation Proclamation and the effects of the Compromise of 1877, which neglected the social welfare of African Americans up until the Civil Rights Movement. Through the use of symbolism, he compared the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence to checks payable to the people, black and white, from the government. Yet, the check that granted “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” (another famous American quote), the check has come back with the mark “insufficient funds” and that the African American people refuse that the “bank of justice” is bankrupt. Furthermore, he stated “Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred,” comparing to the situation for African Americans at the time.
Religion is a major aspect of King’s speech. He mentioned “Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.” Although not very significant in terms of usage, he ends his speech by tying together different religious groups in an effort to rally support from as many categories of people as possible. Near the end, he mentioned “we will be able to 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.” As a minister by training, Dr. King does have some points of religion in his speech, but perhaps he decided to make it more neutral to appeal to those who don’t believe in religion or his interpretation of it.
Culture and society are also major points in his speech. During the parts where he repeated “We cannot be satisfied” and “We can never be satisfied,” he mentioned points about the situation in the American culture in which discrimination, segregation and prejudice play a major role. He mentioned about the segregation when travelling at motels and hotels; the only upward mobility in the ghettos; the signs that say “for whites only” and rights to vote only on paper, but not in practice. He also uses symbolic language to finalize his statement, “No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.” By constantly repeating “we are not satisfied” and its variations, King greatly strengthened his position and was able to enhance his presentation of his objectives. Next, he emphasized the brutality of the police, and the inhumane treatment of those involved in the Civil Rights Movement, which was a major occurrence in his time. He further reinforced his rhetoric ability by referencing different geographic regions of America and different forms of oppression that African Americans face through the use of “I have a dream that one day…(something he wants to happen)” and “Let freedom ring from…(different regions of the United States).” By using those two powerful statements consistently, his goal was to bring together many people to join his cause and emphasizing what the cause is all about.
Overall, I had a positive impression of King’s “I have a Dream” speech. It encompassed major contextual themes with the creative use of content. His excellent rhetoric ability was charismatic and articulate. His speech was able to bring together many groups of Americans in terms of race, socioeconomics and politics. However, one notable problem in his speech is that he neglected two major groups of American society at the time: Asian-Pacific Americans and Native Americans. All in all, King’s public communication ability was very successful. Especially after his passing away, the Federal government under President Lyndon B. Johnson made a strategic push with different Civil Rights Acts, most notably the 1964 and 1968, providing equality and justice for all races.
