I Have A Dream Speech Essay

Words: 543
Pages: 3

On August 28, 1963 after the March on Washington, 200,000 people gathered at the Lincoln Memorial statue to listen to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. deliver his “I Have a Dream” speech. This speech is deemed to be one of the most influential speeches in the history of America and was centered on equality and human rights. Throughout his speech he declared for racial equality and for discrimination to come to an end, showing that the speech is centered on equality and human rights. Soon, after this historical piece was delivered two acts were passed; the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, this revealed the true significance of this speech. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. used three concepts to appeal to the audience these were, …show more content…
He is stating that the American government has neglected on the obligation to all the American people which leads to King setting up his credibility by tapping into the authority of a great American and our constitution. King established his credibility in another way by using the word “we.” For example, he inspires his audience by saying “I say to you today, my friends, even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream.” (King 277) This lead to helping demonstrate his credibility by showing that he too personally experienced racial inequality.

Within “I Have a Dream” Dr. King uses pathos to assist in influencing the audience by appealing to their emotions, fears and feelings. Several ties throughout the speech, King repeated the phrase “I Have a Dream,” the repetition of this phrase gave his audience a sense of positivity and hope. He constantly showed sympathy to blacks who have also experienced racial