I Have a Dream
Dr. Martin Luther
King
Historical Background
• The Declaration of Independence (1776)
– “We hold these to be self-evident, that all
men are created equal ,that they are
endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable Rights, that among these are Life,
Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
• The Constitution of the United States
(1781, 1787)
• Mostly drafted by Thomas Jefferson
• The Civil War (1861~1865)
• Emancipation Proclamation
(Sep.22, 1862)
– Signed by Abraham Lincoln, valid
from Jan. 1863
– aimed to abolish slavery, but
southern states refused to abide
by it
• Gettysburg Address (Nov.19,
1863, Abraham Lincoln)
– “Four score and seven years ago
our fathers brought forth on this
continent a new nation”
• The Thirteenth Amendment to
the Constitution (Dec.18, 1865)
– Formal abolishment of slavery
Jim Crow Laws
• State and local laws enacted between 1876 and
1965
• “Separate but equal”
• racial segregation in all public facilities in
southern states of the former Federacy
Segregation of public places
The "colored" waiting room at a bus station in Durham,
North Carolina, 1940
Segregation of drinking
fountains
An AfricanAmerican youth
at a "colored"
drinking
fountain on a
courthouse
lawn in Halifax,
North Carolina,
1938
Segregation of restaurants
A segregative
sign on a
restaurant in
Lancaster,
Ohio, 1938
Segregation of restaurants
Separate "white" and "colored" entrances to a cafe in
Durham, North Carolina, 1940
Segregation of restrooms and
transportation
Segregation of entertainment
A billiard hall for African Americans in Memphis, Tennessee,
1939.
Segregation of
public school
The Civil Rights Movement
• 1954, Supreme Court bans segregation in
public schools
First day of integrated
school
Montgomery Bus Boycott
1955~1956
Rosa Parks
Arresting Rosa Parks on 1
December, 1955
• leaders of the
black bus
boycott in
Montgomery:
the Rev. Ralph
Abernathy, and
Martin Luther
King Jr.,
The walk to freedom
Victory: the federal district court ruled bus
segregation unconstitutional on 4 June 1956
The Civil Rights Movement
• 1960,The sit-in protest movement in
Greensboro, N.C. that spreads across the
nation.
• 1961, Freedom rides begin from
Washington, D.C:
• Freedom riders prepare to resume their trip
through the South. May 24, 1961. The Freedom
Riders were arrested in Jackson, Miss., and
spent 40 to 60 days in jail.
• 1962, riots as
James
Meredith is
enrolled as the
first black at
the University
of Mississippi
The Civil Rights Movement
• August
28,1963,
250,000
civil-rights
supporters
attended the
March on
Washington
for Jobs and
Freedom.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
• Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Jan. 15, 1929
• Sep. 1954, King moves to Montgomery,
Alabama, to preach at Dexter Avenue
Baptist Church.
• 1955, King finishes his Ph.D. in systematic
theology.
• 1958, King's first book published,
"Stride Toward Freedom,” stabbed by
an African-American woman
• .
• 1959, visited
Mohandas K.
Gandhi, and his
passive resistance
techniques
• 1956, King was arrested, his house
bombed
• 1957, King traveled 780,000 miles and
made 208 speeches this year alone.
• President Eisenhower (third from left) met with
civil rights leaders on June 23, 1958.
1962, King met with President John F.
Kennedy to urge support for civil rights .
• 1963, King was arrested after demonstrating in
defiance of a court order, King writes "Letter
From Birmingham Jail," a classic of the civilrights movement.
• 1963, at the
Lincoln
Memorial, King
delivered the
famous "I have
a dream"
speech.
1964, King visited West Berlin Mayor Willy
Brant and Pope Paul VI.
December 10, 1965, King won Nobel Peace
Prize.
• on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel
Memphis hotel, a day before King's
assassination on April 3,1968.
• King's assassination was international news.
• Black, white, young and old sang "We
Shall Overcome" as they marched down
Denny Way to the Seattle Center to honor
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The crowd was
estimated at 10,000. April 7, 1968.
• The Lorraine Motel, where King was assassinated, is now
the site of the National Civil Rights Museum
• Reverend Martin Luther King Jr in the Gallery of 20th century
martyrs at Westminster Abbey.