Compare And Contrast The Emancipation Proclamation And I Have A Dream Speech

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Lincoln’s “Emancipation Proclamation” and King’s “I Have a Dream” speech have many similarities and differences between them. The “Emancipation Proclamation” was written in 1862 and given on January 1, 1863. This famous document freed the all African-Americans from slavery. The “I Have a Dream” speech written and given in 1963 dealt with equality and the way people were treated. Both speeches were similar in that they were both positive speeches. They both tried to be uplifting and pushed for nonviolence. Both speeches dealt with blacks and their freedom. The speeches were intelligently written and full of phrases that expressed the authors’ feelings. Both felt that God wanted all people to be free and treated equally. There are many differences between the two speeches. King’s speech has more feeling and the speech conveys that he has himself been subject to what he wrote about. Lincoln’s speech is more generic and sounds more official than King’s speech. King doesn’t just want freedom for blacks but for all people. He wants everyone to be equal. Lincoln’s speech is just an official decree stating that the slaves were free. …show more content…

King wants things to be the way they were supposed to be when Lincoln freed the blacks in 1863. Blacks were to be treated fairly, but whites still felt they were lower class citizens. Also, King uses many metaphors to convey his thoughts on the issues. As you can see, Lincoln’s speech and King’s speech are similar and different in many ways. They both talk about freedom and equality. Lincoln and King both feel that God wanted freedom and equality for all. However, you can feel the emotions in King’s speech because he felt first hand the racism he