Speech That Transformed A Nation

History textbooks, history classes, and even news broadcasts about historical events, are often one dimensional. These historical resources fall into the trap of only documenting the realities of various historical events. The Civil Rights Movement, specifically, is a casualty of this narrow account of history. But, the Civil Rights Movement and other historical events are not the lone victims of this parochialism. The reader, the student, and the news audience also become underinformed. Therefore, history requires an expansion, an inclusion of not just “what happened,” but what was “suppose” to happen. Thankfully, the Civil Rights Movement can experience a resurrection through autobiographical accounts of the movement. Clarence Jones’ book, Behind The Dream. The Making Of The Speech That Transformed A Nation, operates as one of these autobiographical accounts. Jones meticulously and thoughtfully describes the events, obstacles, and conversations that led to the March on Washington, August 28th 1963. The …show more content…
The African Americans who attended the March on Washington serve as a prime example. Videos, and photographs of the March provide snapshots of the large swaths of African Americans who paraded through the capitol, and attentively listened to the plethora of speakers and speeches. This reality, which history documents, omits both the external and internal obstacles that hindered African Americans from convening. In other words, the general belief that African Americans were automatically in favor of the March and ready to travel from all parts of the country to the capitol instantaneously, is a little ambitious and very inaccurate. The decision for African Americans to March and their opinion about the March was not unanimous. Moreover, there was a general