MLK/Mockingbird Analysis

Charlie Blondell
Lentz
Academy English
09 May 2013
A Speech and a Dream
“I have a dream today… From every mountain side, let freedom ring.” These were the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. During the time period set in To Kill a Mockingbird and when MLK lived (1930-1960), racial discrimination and prosecution were sewn into the culture of the south of the United States. The Civil Rights Act through the 1950’S and 60’s was meant to reverse this thinking of hatred and prejudice towards African-Americans. This movement became “the nation’s latest attempt to perform in the South an exorcising of its original sin, and it turned out our most epic moral drama since the Civil War itself” (Marshall Frady, 2). One of the most prominent leaders in this act was Dr. King. This reverend became one of the main reasons segregation ended throughout America. During the March on Washington on August 28th 1963, he gave a speech entitled “I Have a Dream.” The importance of the “I Have a Dream” speech was that it brought greater national attention to the Civil Rights Movement, shined light upon MLK and his nonviolent philosophies, and influenced thousands to come together without racial division. In his speech, Dr. King mentioned the Emancipation Proclamation, signed by President Abraham Lincoln, which had given slaves their freedom in the 1800’s. While the crowd “became alert sensing the dramatic promise of the exordium,” MLK explained that since that liberation, black Americans were still not free (David Levering Lewis, 227). He stated, “One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination.” King told them that, despite the obstacles and setbacks, “he held fast to a dream, a profoundly American dream, of a nation radically changed” (Lewis, 228). This change would of course come through the Civil Rights Movement. His speech brought much attention to this subject, and it helped “speed Kennedy’s Civil Rights Bill through Congress” in 1964 (Charles Johnson, 79). The “I Have a Dream” speech showed to not only become an opportunity to gain support for the Civil Rights Act, but it also helped the bill to be passed. Before this speech, Martin Luther King, Jr. was well known around the South as a reverend and activist in the Civil Rights Movement. After his presentation, however, MLK was nationally known and appreciated for his hard work and dedication. According to David Levering Lewis (King), MLK had been notified about a year after his speech that a poll of civil rights leaders “revealed that 95 percent regarded Martin King as the most successful spokesman for the race” in the entire country (231). Dr. King was also noticed for his commitment to non-violent protesting. MLK had previously claimed that nonviolence “can touch men where the law cannot reach them,” and that it is “the method which seeks to implement the just law by appealing to the consciences of the great decent major who through blindness, fear, pride, or irrationality have allowed their consciences to sleep” (Lewis, 85). In his speech, King stated, “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.” His peaceful intentions were recognized. About a year after his speech, Dr. King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. At 35, he was “the youngest Nobel laureate to receive the world’s most coveted award and only the third black, following Ralph Bunche and South Africa’s Chief Albert Luthuli” (Johnson, 87). MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech is what this reverend is most famous for, and it allowed him to show his peaceful efforts in protesting. Dr. King’s speech was held during the March on Washington, which occurred in the early autumn of 1963. Around a “quarter of a million Americans ─ black and white from across the full spectrum of progressive organizations ─ traveled to participate in the monumental” march (Johnson, 78). According to Lewis, “between 75,000 and 95,000” of the attendees were Caucasian (224). Senator Hubert Humphrey commented on the march and the speech by saying it is “a good thing for Washington and the nation and the world” (Lewis, 230). President John Kennedy stated, “We have witnessed today in Washington tens of thousands of Americans ─ both Negro and white ─ exercising their right to assemble peacefully and direct widest possible attention to a great national issue” (Lewis, 230). Dr. King’s speech brought people together to experience it. The speech and the march were appreciated and accepted by many, including top political officials, like Senator Humphrey and President Kennedy. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech showed that people can come together, regardless of the color of their skin, to witness something special. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Tom Robinson, a young black man, is accused and convicted of rape. Even when the evidence is clear that the man is innocent, the jury will not come to believe it. The reason for this is the color of Mr. Robinson’s skin. The thoughts of white Caucasians during this time period were racist and judgmental. Dr. King was destined to stop this, and his “I Have a Dream” speech helped to pursue this vision. Dr. King was truly a saint, and his famous speech was his scripture. The speech moved people to encourage equal rights, to accept peaceful ways of fighting, and to come together without the thought of race in their minds. On that day of his speech, Martin Luther King, Jr. liberated those who wished to enter a new era, one without segregation, prosecution, and discrimination in America, by belting out, “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God almighty, we are free at last!”