The Purpose of Martin Luther King 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 entitled “I Have A Dream.” The main purpose of him giving the speech was to try and put an end to racism, influence individuals that everyone deserves equal rights, and discuss how important it is to be free in society.

Near the beginning of the speech, Dr. King made a very powerful statement. “But one hundred years later the Negro is still not free.” Essentially, he was still disappointed with the treatment of black men and women. Because while the Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1865, African- American people still were fighting for their rights for centuries after that. A prime example of them not having full rights would be segregation. Though slavery had technically ended the people were still divided. Separate water fountains had to be used, different seating areas, and having to shop at different places are just a few examples of how everyone was still divided. Unfortunately, this practice lasted for many lasted for years all over the United States, and so many people had to go through this tragedy. However, during the matter Martin Luther King never stopped fighting for justice.

Quite a bit farther down he uses a quote from the Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.” Dr. King then went on to give instances of situations that he hoped one day would come true. Arguably one of the most important statements he made in the speech was “ 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.” 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 the fact that everyone should be given the same opportunities as the next person. There should be no upper hand just based off of race.

While Dr. King did not out right come out and say this, from analyzing this speech I concluded just how important he thinks it is to be free in a society. All of the things that the stated that he wished to happen would begin to start to make it where everyone would feel comfortable and could be themselves without the constant scrutiny of others. Half a century later, things that you cannot change such as your race should still not determine how you treated in this world.

To sum up everything that has been stated, Dr. Kings 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 for years to come. One of his most famous speeches “ I Have A Dream” was so important because the purpose of it was to try and put an end to racism, influence others to treat everyone equally, and it discussed how important it is to feel free in a society.