Susands of Americans marched on Washington, DC, to
Longress to pass a civil rights bill. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his
1 Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial before more than
250,000 people. This momentous event was called the March on Washington.
Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968) came from a family of preachers.
As pastor of a Baptist Church in Alabama, King honed his rhetorical skills.
Preaching a philosophy of nonviolence, his leadership helped bring about the
passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, King
continued his work for justice and equality until he was assassinated in 1968.
WAR
I HAVE A DREAM
Speech by Martin Luther King Jr.
SETTING A PURPOSE
As you read, monitor your comprehension by rereading and reviewing your
background knowledge. Think about how this speech confirms, changes,
or challenges what you know.
am happy to join with you today in what will go down in
Lhistory as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the
history of our nation.
2
Five score¹ years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic
shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to
millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of
withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long
night of their captivity.
2
five score: 100; score means "twenty" (This phrasing recalls the beginning of
Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address: "Four score and seven years ago...)
2
¹ Emancipation Proclamation: a document signed by President Lincoln in
1863, during the Civil War, declaring that all slaves in states still at war with
Union were free.
NOTICE & NOTE
Notice & Note
You can use the side margins
to notice and note signposts in
the text.
I Have a Dream 89