Martin Luther King Jr Informative Speech

Martin Luther King was an African American and was the leader of the African American Civil Rights Movement. Martin wasn’t against the new law when he was little, nor did he accepted it; however, his father was just simply against it. Since Martin grew up wanting to be like his father he turned out to be against discrimination, well that and the fact that in his adolescence he was treated horribly by the white. Martin decided that it was about time for someone to stand up for their race so he started to make speeches and persuade people to be equal. Martin Luther King Jr. first became leader of the MIA (Montgomery Improvement Association) on December fifth 1955 at Holt Street Baptist Church. This Group was created because of what had happen
with Rosa Parks four days ago. What had happen with Rosa was that she was arrested for refusing to vacant her seat and move to back of the bus, that’s when the Montgomery bus boycott begins. In the MIA that was created was the first time Mr. King Jr. gave his first speech called “MIA Mass Meeting Speech”. Although, his very first national speech was given in May 17, 1957 at the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom at the Lincoln Memorial called “Give us the Ballot”. He did this speech to demand the congress to give the Negros the right to vote. He also gave it in the Lincoln Memorial because president Lincoln had already tried to end slavery and have all men treated equally, sadly this dream of his didn’t quite turn out the way he wanted since he was American and couldn’t really relate to the slaves. Martin Luther King Jr. later gave his speech “I have a Dream” in 1963 August 28th at the Lincoln Memorial after his meeting with the president John F. Kennedy. This also occurred after the marched of Washington Jobs and Freedom. “I have a Dream” is widely known across the world because of all the rhetorical principals included in it. “I have a Dream” is a speech that contains not only literary elements but biblical statement and a strong feeling towards persuasion. The speech can be divided among two parts: The first half of the speech talks about the evil and darkness of the nation, expressing the nightmare that no person would want to live. In his speech he gives these words describing the nightmare in the United States:
“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. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.”
It’s explaining that years have passed and there isn’t one person that has stood up for their rights, that there isn’t one person to stop the loneliness, the poverty, the sadness, “...the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity.” as Dr. King said. The second part of his speech states the dream that he has, the hope that he has and that everyone should also have. For example, in his the 23rd paragraph of his speech states:
“I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with it’s governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and
brothers.”
This shows that not only does he want freedom but that he wants to see peace and equality on each and every one. Furthermore, Martin Luther King’s speech “I have a Dream” also contains compassion and peace.
His speech not only talks about wanting the black colored skin to have freedom it also mentions that there is no need for violence. He said, “We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence.” Now this is what made his speech a lot more effective. He encouraged his race that not only did they have to protest for their freedom and be persuasive but to know that violence will lead to more violence. “I have a Dream… I have a Dream … I have a Dream” is what he repeats but why? Well this is because he is trying to prove, to persuade everyone that the discrimination against the black race has been the biggest nightmare for them and that they dream they had a better dream. He dreams of a world with love and equality. He dreams with peace and liberty. He dreams of the words stated in the constitution “…that all men are created equal.” His speech also contain very good parallelism. He had his ideas very well stated and they all made sense. This made it very more understandable and made his point clear in his speech. His vocabulary in his speech was also very clear and very effective. Having a good vocabulary is very important for the understanding and ethics of your
speech. Martin Luther King Jr. also got a noble peace prize for his nonviolent resistance to racial prejudice in America. He was the youngest person to receive a noble peace prize. He was a powerful speaker that appealed to many people and got the support from the federal government and northern whites. To sum it all up, Marin Luther King was a historic hero. He did not only persuade a whole lot of people but he also changed history. He was a hero because of all those lives that now thank him for his determination and sacrifice. His dream is now seen in the U.S. Like he said towards the end of the speech, “…one day…little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.” Because of him the U.S is now a freedom country and the pledge of allegiance in now true when we say, “…and justice for all.”

Works Cited
Birt, Robert E., ed. The Liberatory Thought of Martin Luther King Jr: Critical Essays on the Philosopher King. Lanham Merryland: Lexington Books, 2012.
Frady, Marshall. Martin Luther King, Jr: A Life. New York: Penguin Group, 2002.
King, Corretta Scott and Martin Luther King Jr. The words of Martin Luther King Jr.: Second Edition. William Morow Paperback, 2001.
King, Martin Luther. A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther. Ed. James M. Washington. New York: Harper Collins, n.d.
Rufus Burrow, Jr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Theology of Resistance. North Carolina: Jefferson, 1960.