Martin Luther King was a civil rights leader who fought for the rights and economic freedom of the people with color. He fought through non-violent demonstrations because he believed in love and togetherness. King was resistant against status quo and he fought for equal state between the blacks and whites and overall for the equality of the whole world. His main message through his speech “I have a Dream" was love and togetherness between the blacks and whites. He delivered his speech in order to stop racial segregation in schools and other organizations. He wanted to solve the dilemmas facing the black people in America.
Martin Luther King advocated for social change through a non-violent means. His main aim was to fight for blacks’ freedom and equality with the whites; he wanted them to have equal opportunities (Jackson 94). He was against the racial segregation issue the nation was facing whereby the blacks were being discriminated upon by the whites. School children could not go to same schools as there were different schools for blacks and whites. In addition, in his speech “I have a Dream", Martin Luther King affirmed that he had a dream that despite there being racial segregation in schools especially in Alabama, a day is coming whereby all the black and white children will be able to join hands as brothers and sisters and go to the same schools despite their color. He believed that his dreams will be realized and he really fought very hard for them and indeed, it happened, black and white children go to same schools.
Martin Luther King’s speech “I have a Dream" was able to eliminate a social behavior called racism. Even though it was not eliminated completely, it is at very low rates because laws against racial segregation were enacted. The effects of King’s speech were felt by millions of people worldwide but mostly in America. It is agreeable that King’s speech had a very big impact to the world and it paved way for brotherhood between the whites and blacks in America. There was racial segregation in schools whereby blacks were not allowed to attend schools meant for whites but in today’s America, both white and black children attend the same school. This is thanks to the decision by the Supreme Court on the hallmark case of Brown vs. the Board of Education case. The American history of racial discrimination in schools was reversed with this case after discriminating against school children was ruled out.
Through his speech, Martin Luther King encouraged the whites and blacks to live together for racial harmony. He stated that in the eyes of God all people are equal and should be treated as equals. In the quote “I 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” (Hansen 78), Americans started getting equal opportunities. Through these words in his speech, Americans got equal opportunities regardless of their color since laws were put in place and these laws still permeate the American culture up to today. The passing of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 after King’s speech helped the people with color to have equal opportunities in America like the whites. Nowadays job applicants receive equal opportunities regardless of their color, race, religion and nation of origin. Racial discrimination was put to an end in employment as all people are given a fair share to compete (Kahlenberg 112).
Martin Luther King’s legacy in America will never be forgotten as he fought for social change in the society and helped eliminate racism in schools and working places. His “I have a Dream" speech makes him unforgettable as it brought many changes in America which worked for the good of the nation. He created awareness for equality in the society and he achieved it by ensuring equal chances between the blacks and whites.
Works Cited
Kahlenberg, Richard. The Remedy: Class, Race, and Affirmative Action. New York: Basic Books, 1996. Print.
Hansen, Drew. The Dream: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Speech that Inspired a Nation. New York, NY: Harper Collins, 2003. Print.
Jackson, Thomas. From Civil Rights to Human Rights: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Struggle for Economic Justice. Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2006. Print.
