August 28, 2008

I Have A Dream



Today marks the 45th Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's famous speech, I Have A Dream, which stands as one of the major defining moments of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.

The speech came from the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom to a crowd of over 200,000 supporters. It is one of the most important documents to have been written in United States history, for it helped put pressure on the Kennedy Administration to help push forward legislation relating to Civil Rights in Congress.

In an interesting coincidence, tonight is the night that Sen. Barack Obama will accept the nomination for Presidential Candidate on behalf of the Democratic Party, a major landmark in and of itself. While Sen. Obama's campaign have tried to dispel race in this presidential race, this is no doubt a powerful image for all in the nation, and despite some, it represents some of the major breakthroughs in the nation.

Part of the appeal and lasting nature of the speech is the ability to which Dr. King was able to weave numerous documents together, such as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and Lincoln's Gettysburg Address together to create a wholly new and powerful meaning. This, combined with Dr. King's presence behind the podium, have made this document a lasting and important one.

I Have A Dream - Dr. Martin Luther King