Ever since the founding fathers of our nation dreamed this noble dream, america has been . . tragically divided against herself. on the one hand we have proudly professed the principles of democracy, and on the other hand we have sadly practiced the very antithesis of those principles. indeed slavery and segregation have been strange paradoxes in a nation founded on the principle that all men are created equal. —"the american dream," dr. martin luther king, jr. what reason does king give in this passage to explain how americans have failed to come together for equality? he points out that americans have proudly supported the principles of democracy he points out that the founding fathers’ dream was a noble one. he points out that slavery and segregation show that everyone is not considered equal.