Keeping Africans and African Americans as slaves was legal in the United States of America, from its founding in 1776 till 1865 when slavery got abolished. Discrimination and inequality did not disappear still. Civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. addressed these issues in his historic “I have a dream” speech on August 28, 1963. On the 58th anniversary of the speech, we look back at its history and its impact.
The History
On August 28, 1963, an event known as the March on Washington took place. It highlighted the importance of the civil and economic rights of the African American people. The event, organised by American labour unionist A. Philip Randolph and civil rights activist Bayard Rustin had an estimated 250000 participants, mostly Black Americans. Hollywood actors like Sidney Poitier and Marlon Brando attended the event. Martin Luther King Jr. was the final speaker and delivered the historic “I have a dream” speech.
Martin Luther King Jr. had prepared a short, formal speech where he addressed the plight of fellow African Americans in the United States, plagued by racial discrimination and segregation. Luther King Jr. extended his speech after American gospel singer Mahalia Jackson urged him to share his “dream” with the American people.
The Speech
Luther King reminded his audience of President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, by which he ended slavery in the United States forever. He then spoke of racial discrimination, segregation and poverty of Americans of colour, the need for racial justice and full citizenship rights. He then mentioned his dream of interracial amity, togetherness and freedom.
The Impact
Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech on August 28, 1963, was the culmination of a non-violent civil rights movement in the United States, from 1954 till 1968. The speech and the march influenced the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The event was a major victory for African Americans and their allies, who had fought long and hard to highlight the issues of racial inequality and discrimination.
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