What do you see…

What do you hear…

I Have a Dream Martin Luther King August 28, 1963

I Have a Dream Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today… But one hundred years later… Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. What does “five score” mean? Why does King choose these words? Why does he switch to more common terminology?

I Have a Dream “One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination…” “This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Of what “manacles” and “chains” is King referring? To what document is King now referring? Do you agree with his interpretation? What historical evidence can you use to support your assertion?

I Have a Dream “In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds.” Why would King feel compelled to include this? Which of his contemporaries would agree with him? Which would not? Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man. here

I Have a Dream …the American dream I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little 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. I have a dream today! Why does King use repetition throughout this section of his speech?

I Have a Dream “My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride, From every mountainside, let freedom ring!” What well known song is King citing here? In this context, how might the meaning of this line change from its original intent? Why would he choose to use this verse?

I Have a Dream And so… Let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania. Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California. But not only that… Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia. Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee. Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring. Why does he name these states first? Why does he name these states second? And then here last?

I Have a Dream Free at last!Civil Rights Act (1964) Outlawed discrimination based on race, color, gender, religion, and national origin Ended segregation in schools and in the workplace

Free at Last? National Average freshman graduation rate (2008) 91.4% Asian 81% white 63.5% Latino 61.5% black NC Graduation Rate % Asian 80% white 67% blacks 61% Latino

Free at Last? 2011 Graduating Class 32% proficient in math 50% Asian 42% white 15% Latino 11% black 31% proficient in reading 41% Asian 40% white 13% blacks 4% Latino Program on Education Policy and Governance at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government

Free at Last? 2009 Median Wages (compared to that of white workers)  65% black  61% Hispanic (compared to that of male workers)  77% female U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2012

I Have a Dream How would you say it? or Are we “free” yet? How effective is the use of historical reference and/or emotional appeal in arguing one’s case? Cite and explain material from King’s speech in order to answer this question. Citing the presented and/or additional data, write an editorial using the title: King’s Dream fulfilled! or King’s Dream fulfilled?

Additional Resources at History.com March on Washington (video) March on Washington Malcolm X Speaks Out on Race (audio) Malcolm X Speaks Out on Race Interactive Black History Timeline (interactive tool) Interactive Black History Timeline