The speech gave an impassioned voice to the demands of the US civil rights movement: equal rights and justice for all citizens. It was one of those rare moments in history that changed a nation, paving the way for a transformation of American law and life.
"I have a dream," he said, "that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal'."
At a time when the United States was sharply divided, Dr King called on a generation of Americans to be "voices of reason, sanity and understanding amid the voices of violence, hatred and emotion".
His example motivated men and women of all backgrounds to actively strive for justice, and his leadership gave them the courage to refuse the limitations of the day and work to forge a more tolerant and inclusive society. …show more content…
Neither the strivings nor the consequences of the civil rights movement were limited to the shores of the United States.
In his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, former Northern Ireland Social Democratic and Labour Party leader John Hume quoted Dr King, whom he called "one of my great heroes of this century", concluding with the words: "We shall overcome."
Inspired by the example of Martin Luther King Jnr, the young former seminarian led a non-violent civil rights movement in his home town of
"I have a dream," he said, "that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal'."
At a time when the United States was sharply divided, Dr King called on a generation of Americans to be "voices of reason, sanity and understanding amid the voices of violence, hatred and emotion".
His example motivated men and women of all backgrounds to actively strive for justice, and his leadership gave them the courage to refuse the limitations of the day and work to forge a more tolerant and inclusive society. …show more content…
Neither the strivings nor the consequences of the civil rights movement were limited to the shores of the United States.
In his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, former Northern Ireland Social Democratic and Labour Party leader John Hume quoted Dr King, whom he called "one of my great heroes of this century", concluding with the words: "We shall overcome."
Inspired by the example of Martin Luther King Jnr, the young former seminarian led a non-violent civil rights movement in his home town of