How Important Was Mlk's Speech In The Civil Rights Movement

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Spencer Jorden English Mr. David 3/13/23. MLK’s Speech The civil rights movement in America is one of the most powerful, and uplifting movements on earth. This movement also gave birth to some of America's greatest non-political leaders. The civil rights movement started in 1954 and lasted fourteen years until it ended in 1968. The civil rights movement was about allowing blacks to be treated equally to whites. Back in 1954, blacks and whites couldn't even drink from the same water fountain, ride in the same train car, or even sit in the same seat on the bus as the whites. But national heroes such as Rosa Parks, Ruby Bridges, Martin Luther King Jr. helped change that. One of the greatest speeches of all time was given at the end of the civil …show more content…

This proved how Lincoln was strongly against slavery and how he sought to abolish it during his presidency, which gave hope to all the slaves that freedom was coming. Then King went on later in his speech to declare that they were here to cash a metaphorical check. This check represents their freedom which was promised to them through the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth amendments. But even though they had their freedom, segregation prevented them from becoming truly free. Success magazine said this “Freedom means the opportunity to be what we never thought we would be. For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” I believe that this quote best summarizes how segregation suppressed the freedom of our nation's people of color and that is why King’s speech incorporates freedom with segregation. In conclusion, the deep history of racism and segregation has suppressed the people of color’s freedom tremendously. Thus sparked the civil rights movement. Where one man led a quarter of a million people to our nation's capital to make a change in this country. Here a speech was given by a Southern Baptist minister that was so