Thursday, November 24, 2011

Who does Dr. King refer to by the epithet "the great American"?

After a brief welcome, Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr. begins his famous "I Have a Dream" speech in much the same way as this great
American whom he references.

King's speech begins "Five score years
ago...," echoing the beginning of the Gettysburg Address:


Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new
nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created
equal.

This speech was delivered by Abraham Lincoln, who
is thus the "great American" King alludes to.

Lincoln also
delivered the Emancipation Proclamation, which is referenced in King's speech. This order given
by the executive branch of our government proclaimed all people held as slaves to be free from
that moment forward. King asserts that this proclamation was a metaphorical light that ended the
dark night of slavery.

His point, then, becomes that the executive order
given by Lincoln has never been fulfilled at the time King delivered this speech. King looks at
the discrimination, segregation, and poverty surrounding African Americans and asserts that they
are "exile[s] in [their] own land."

King urges his listeners to
hear the words of this great American and to therefore provide a path for true freedom for
all American citizens. Examining the words of a much-respected former
American President gives further credibility to King's argument and aligns King's goals with
those of another well-respected American leader.

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