frontier of racial equality
Martin Luther King Jr. "I have a Dream"
Summary
Martin Luther King Jr. begins his famous, I have a Dream, by stating that he wanted African Americans and whites to be equal. He states that he wants the nation to live up to it's fundamental democratic ideals (especially the founding idea that "all men are created equal") by allowing African Americans to be equal to whites. He hopes that his four children would be able to live in a nation without the burden of being judged by their skin color or nationality. Rather, he wishes that his children will be judged by their character and personality- as that is essentially what matters. King states that there will be no peace in the nation, and turmoil will continue and increase, as long as African Americans are barred from equality. MLK acknowledges that African Americans have made certain gains in the past decade, and how many whites are asking, "When will you be satisfied?" To answer the question, King states that neither he or the rest of the African American population will be satisfied as long as African Americans are not allowed to use the same public facilities as whites, as long as certain African Americans are still barred the right to suffrage, and as long as there is no justice to blacks. He concludes the speech by stating, "When we allow freedom to ring-- when we let it ring from every city and every hamlet, from every state and every city, 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 in the worlds of the old Negro spiritual, 'Free at last, free at last, Great God a-mighty, We are free at last.'"
Connection to the Thesis
This artifact connects to the thesis statement because it portrays the climax of the civil rights movement, and the frontier of civil rights. African Americans were waging a brutal battle for their equality, in a desperate attempt to push the frontier of equality forward. Such a frontier existed, as it portrayed what American society has not yet accomplished: African Americans were still not legally equal to whites, and blacks wanted something done about it. The I Have A Dream speech took place during a decade of political and international turmoil-- the 1960s, and the height of the civil rights movement. This speech catalyzed the movement, and had a revolutionary impact on American society. Many historians argue that MLK's speech ignited a series of worldwide movements for racial emancipation. The nation saw numerous events of campus unrest as college students protested for African American equality. Thus, the metaphorical frontier of civil rights and liberties had a revolutionary impact on American society.
Martin Luther King Jr. begins his famous, I have a Dream, by stating that he wanted African Americans and whites to be equal. He states that he wants the nation to live up to it's fundamental democratic ideals (especially the founding idea that "all men are created equal") by allowing African Americans to be equal to whites. He hopes that his four children would be able to live in a nation without the burden of being judged by their skin color or nationality. Rather, he wishes that his children will be judged by their character and personality- as that is essentially what matters. King states that there will be no peace in the nation, and turmoil will continue and increase, as long as African Americans are barred from equality. MLK acknowledges that African Americans have made certain gains in the past decade, and how many whites are asking, "When will you be satisfied?" To answer the question, King states that neither he or the rest of the African American population will be satisfied as long as African Americans are not allowed to use the same public facilities as whites, as long as certain African Americans are still barred the right to suffrage, and as long as there is no justice to blacks. He concludes the speech by stating, "When we allow freedom to ring-- when we let it ring from every city and every hamlet, from every state and every city, 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 in the worlds of the old Negro spiritual, 'Free at last, free at last, Great God a-mighty, We are free at last.'"
Connection to the Thesis
This artifact connects to the thesis statement because it portrays the climax of the civil rights movement, and the frontier of civil rights. African Americans were waging a brutal battle for their equality, in a desperate attempt to push the frontier of equality forward. Such a frontier existed, as it portrayed what American society has not yet accomplished: African Americans were still not legally equal to whites, and blacks wanted something done about it. The I Have A Dream speech took place during a decade of political and international turmoil-- the 1960s, and the height of the civil rights movement. This speech catalyzed the movement, and had a revolutionary impact on American society. Many historians argue that MLK's speech ignited a series of worldwide movements for racial emancipation. The nation saw numerous events of campus unrest as college students protested for African American equality. Thus, the metaphorical frontier of civil rights and liberties had a revolutionary impact on American society.