The United States prides themselves as being the land of the free, a place where people can come and live the American dream. Our country hasn’t always been free for everyone, though. African-Americans have not always been free; they were slaves before the Civil War and after the Civil War, for about 100 years, they were still treated unfairly and punished for not being inferior to the whites in their community. The Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments were violated by the federal, states, and local governments. The 1954 trial Brown v. Board of Education ended with the Supreme Court in favor for African-American rights and ruling it was segregation in school was unconstitutional. Many civil rights activists were verbal about the
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The speech took place when the Civil Rights Movement was at its prime. King was a very patriotic man and proves that many times in his speech. He believed the country could be better with the absence of segregation. When King presented his speech to the public it was almost 100 years since the Civil War ended on April 9, 1865; the goal of the Civil War was to end slavery as well as stop segregation in the United States once and for all. King mentions how the goal was not fully successful in his speech. He said, “But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. (King Jr., M. L. “1963”. I Have A Dream.)” He encourages others of voicing their opinions about segregation and to not fall to the needs of people who discriminate them to seek fair treatment. King’s first mention of his “dream”, stands out the most, because it is what the United States says they believe in, but has not followed. “I have a dream 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." (King Jr., M. L. “1963”. I Have A Dream.)” Martin Luther King, Jr. inspired many people as an activist to fight for equality. Jim Crow laws, also known as the anti-black laws, were implemented in mostly in southern states. The laws were in place from 1877 to the mid-1960s. Although King was a private person when it came to his personal life, he spoke about his experiences growing up with Jim Crow laws. As a child, King experienced seeing African-Americans being lynched and had dealt with racial segregation. Not knowing what
The speech took place when the Civil Rights Movement was at its prime. King was a very patriotic man and proves that many times in his speech. He believed the country could be better with the absence of segregation. When King presented his speech to the public it was almost 100 years since the Civil War ended on April 9, 1865; the goal of the Civil War was to end slavery as well as stop segregation in the United States once and for all. King mentions how the goal was not fully successful in his speech. He said, “But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. (King Jr., M. L. “1963”. I Have A Dream.)” He encourages others of voicing their opinions about segregation and to not fall to the needs of people who discriminate them to seek fair treatment. King’s first mention of his “dream”, stands out the most, because it is what the United States says they believe in, but has not followed. “I have a dream 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." (King Jr., M. L. “1963”. I Have A Dream.)” Martin Luther King, Jr. inspired many people as an activist to fight for equality. Jim Crow laws, also known as the anti-black laws, were implemented in mostly in southern states. The laws were in place from 1877 to the mid-1960s. Although King was a private person when it came to his personal life, he spoke about his experiences growing up with Jim Crow laws. As a child, King experienced seeing African-Americans being lynched and had dealt with racial segregation. Not knowing what