1. AUGUST27, 2013
King’sDream
Fiftyyearsago,Martin LutherKingJr. gave one of the most importantspeechesinU.S.history
By Laura Modigliani |for
On August28, 1963, Martin LutherKingJr. stoodon the stepsof the LincolnMemorial inWashington, D.C.He looked
out at a crowd of more than200,000 people.Millionsmore were watchingonTV.Kingwasaboutto deliverwhatwould
become one of the most famousspeechesof all time.
MARCHING FOR FREEDOM
The crowd had gatheredforthe March on Washington. Itwasthe biggestprotestof the civil rightsmovement,the long
struggle togain equal rightsforAfrican-Americansandothers.
The UnitedStateswas a verydifferentplace in1963 than itis today.In manyareas of the South,blackpeople
were segregated,orseparated,fromwhite people.African-Americanscouldn’tattendcertainschoolsoreatincertain
restaurants.Lawsinsome stateskeptmany blackpeople fromvoting.A lotof businessesrefusedtohire blackworkers.
People hadcome fromacross the countryto attendthe march. RobertAvery,whowas15 at the time,hadtraveled
nearly700 milesfromGadsden,Alabama.
“To see all of the people whowere there—bothblackandwhite,youngandold—comingtogetherforacommoncause,
it made youfeel reallygood,”he says.
MAKING HISTORY
Kingwasa leadingvoice of the civil rightsmovement.He organizedpeacefulprotestsagainstunjustlaws.He hadbeen
arrested,jailed,andevenattackedforstandingupforhisbeliefs.
Kingwasalso knownforhisinspiringspeeches.Onthathot afternoon,he stoodbefore the seaof people andbeganhis
“I Have a Dream” speech.Kingsaidthateventhoughslaverywasabolishednearly100 yearsearlier,African-Americans
still weren’ttrulyfree.Hisvoice grewmore powerful ashe saidhe dreamedof a day whenpeople wouldn’tbe judgedby
theirskincolor.The crowd cheered,andmanypeople were movedtotears.
2. “Eventhoughhe wastalkingtoa crowd,”Averysays,“he made it soundlike he wastalkingtoyou.”
King’sspeechdidn’tjustaffectpeopleinthe crowd.Italsodrew the nation’sattentiontothe discriminationthatstill
existedinthe UnitedStates.Anditinspirednewsupporterstojointhe cause.
“I Have a Dream” wasone of the milestonesof the civil rightsmovement.Lessthana yearafterKing’sspeech,President
LyndonB. Johnsonsignedthe Civil RightsActof 1964. It outlaweddiscriminationbasedonrace inschools,offices,and
publicplaces.The lawalsobannedunfairrulesthatpreventedpeople fromvoting.
Today,a memorial dedicatedtoKingstandsnearthe spotwhere he deliveredhishistoricspeech50 yearsago. It isa
powerful reminderof the lastingimpactof hisleadership.
