I have a Dream: the Greatest Speech

In I Have a Dream Martin Luther King believed once everyone heard his voice, his dreams, that everyone would become united as a country and as a community to oversee the difference between our color, beliefs and religion couldn't separate our nation. Through Dr. King and many other influential people taking a stand and much self-control, they would come together to take a stand and protest peacefully.

When Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, he presumed that he would be ending injustice to colored people. Unfortunately, colored people would continue to be mistreated with many types on segregation. With the new world developing Martin Luther King would bring more attention to the racial injustice specifically to the U.S. MLK along with other import political people, started to begin working on fixing our country and stop segregation, although the process wasn't easy. In MLK speech, King mentions the Emancipation Proclamation in I have a dream to show that not only he had the dream to see blacks be treated equal as whites.

    In nineteen fifty-five through fifty-six the first peaceful protest took place in Montgomery Alabama called Montgomery Bus Boycott; A protest campaign against racial segregation to the public transit system began when an African-American woman named Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat for a white man on the bus. Rosa was removed from the bus and later arrested. The next day, Dr. King proposed a citywide boycott to all public transportation a church meeting Montgomery Bus Boycott had its beginnings just days before Bagley spoke, when forty-five-year-old Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man. Her actions violated the city's bus segregation laws, and she was subsequently arrested for disorderly conduct.2 Blacks were outraged by the arrest of yet another black woman on a city bus (McGhee p.252). The boycott proved to be very effective This boycott proved disastrous for Montgomery City Lines, costing the company $750,000.5 (McGee p.252) causing many of the public transportation system to run a huge deficit. After all, African-American in Montgomery were not just the main boycotters, but also African-American were the bulk of the transit system's paying customers. The situation become severely tense that a member White Citizens' Council, a group that disapproved racial integration, set fire to King's home. In June 1956, a federal court found that laws in Alabama and Montgomery that segregated buses were unconstitutional. Although, an appeal kept the segregated buses intact till December 20, 1956, when the Supreme Court upheld the district court ruling. The boycott signaled the up rise of the civil rights movement and also the first victory and made MLK became one of its central figure of the movement.

    The Albany Movement was another coalition formed in Nov. 1961 in Albany, Ga.; it was a protest to the city of Albany on its segregated policies. MLK joined the protest in December, to only counsel the protesters for only one day. However, King was jailed during the horde arrested of peaceful protesters, also Dr. King would also decline bail until the city of Albany changed its segregation policies. Though the city of Albany made several compromises, and soon Dr. King left jail and later also Albany. Nevertheless, Dr. King would return back to Albany a year later observe that little to nothing had actually changed. Upon Kings return to Albany, he was convicted of leading the prior year's protest. King was sentenced to 45 days in jail or to pay a fine of 178 dollars. King chose jail. Only three days into his sentence, the police chief of Albany arranged for Kings release. The Albany movement would eventually dissolve, with little to no substantial results of continues peaceful protests, the tactics used in Albany's protest would shape future protests.

The Birmingham campaign was the most important protest and the most violent throughout the whole civil rights movement he city's violent response to the spring 1963 demonstrations against white supremacy forced the federal government to intervene on behalf of race reform (Eskew p.26). Last for about two months, the Birmingham campaign was a tactical effort stated by King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Southern Christian Leadership Conference was formed in 1957 just a little after the Montgomery bus Boycott ended the importance of this group was to advance the with the civil rights movement in a non-violent manner, to remind every protester that they're only going to make change with peace. But for this protest Southern Christian Leadership Conference goal was to end discriminatory economic policies in AL. However, the protest didn't change much in the city of Alabama. White business owners would still only hire white people and still had signs up for segregated restrooms. Whenever the businesses refused to make a change in their policies, protesters began to hold sit-ins and marches, with the aim of getting arrested. MLK encouraged these non-violent tactics. The purpose of this was for the city's jail would be overflown with protesters. The city's police used high-pressured water hoses and dogs to try and control the protesters, some whom were also children. Thou this protest was a turning point to the civil rights movement, when white people recognized how being segregation was filled with violence and all African-American only wanted was to be equal. By the end of the protest, many segregated signs were taken down by many businesses, and public places became more open to all colored people. This protest was a huge boost of confidence to MLK along with African-Americans and other races because the protest brought national attention Although many people date the beginning of the civil rights movements with  brought the emerging reform movement to the nation's attention (Eskew p.19-20).

Perhaps King's most famous contribution as the face of the civil rights movement came during the March on Washington for jobs, freedom, and equality, on August. 28, 196. The largest political rally ever seen in the history of the US, it ushered out between two-hundred to three-hundred thousand participants, to whom King would deliver his famous I Have a Dream speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial. But without a women named Mahalia Jackson, MLK speech might have never even happened. Jackson was devoted to King and accompanied him to the most hostile environment of the segregated South. The speech was only meant to be about five minutes long, but Dr. King was very passionate and devoted to make a change in the US, that the spoke from his heart. He wanted to inspire a brighter future for African-American kids and that for one day to everyone was equal 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. (King p.5)

Although he did not know it at the time, Dr. King had delivered the greatest/ powerful speech of his life. His words reached millions of viewers. No longer could the country ignore the injustice towards African-Americans: poverty, segregation, and violence against them in US. Martin Luther King and among many other respectable leaders paved the path for our future. To not be segregated from other races. To not be seen as a threat to others just because our skin tone is different from theirs but along with all those sacrifices colored people are still treated completely different compared to white people: such as less jail time. A white man can commit the same crime as a colored man but get less time as colored man. Although things have changed there is a long road to travel till' everyone is treated equal.

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