Topic > Martin Luther King's Purpose in His "I Have a Dream" Speech

On August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King delivered one of the most famous speeches to date. This speech, as we all know, was titled “I Have A Dream”. The main purpose of his speech was to try to end racism, influence individuals so that everyone deserves equal rights, and discuss how important it is to be free in society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay At the beginning of the speech, Dr. King made a very powerful statement. “But a hundred years later the Negro is still not free.” Essentially, he was still disillusioned with the treatment of black men and women. Because even though the Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1865, African Americans continued to fight for their rights for centuries. A great example of them not having full rights would be segregation. Although slavery was technically over, people were still divided. Separate drinking fountains had to be used, different seating areas, and having to shop in different places are just a few examples of how everyone was still divided. Unfortunately, this practice has lasted for many years throughout the United States, and so many people have had to face this tragedy. However, throughout the issue Martin Luther King never stopped fighting for justice. A little later he uses a quote from the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: All men are created equal.” Dr. King then went on to cite examples of situations that he hoped would one day come true. Probably one of the most important statements he made in the speech was: “I 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. " To me, this shows how he wants everyone to love each other, no matter who you are or where you come from. This is still very relevant to our society in that everyone should be given the same opportunities as the next guy. There should be no advantage based only on race. Although Dr. King did not say this outright, from analyzing this speech I concluded how important it is for him to be free in a society. All the things he claimed to want to happen would begin to happen where everyone does they would have felt comfortable and could be themselves without the constant scrutiny of others. Half a century later, things you can't change, like your race, still shouldn't determine how you behave in this world : This is just one example. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers Get a custom essay To summarize everything that has been stated, Dr. King's legacy will live on forever. He was one of the most influential people of all time, and the speeches he gave will likely have a lasting impact on generations to come. One of his most famous speeches "I Have A Dream" was so important because the purpose was to try to end racism, influence others to treat everyone equally, and he discussed how important it is to feel free in a society..