Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s most memorable speech from his life as an activist, "I Have a Dream" was delivered August 28, 1963, before more than 200,000 people in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D. C. The speech was part of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The speech not only helped to galvanize the already growing civil rights movement across the country at the time, it also became one of the most influential and inspirational pieces of rhetoric in American history. Remarkably, midway through his delivery, King suspended his pre-scripted text and began to improvise; what resulted was the speech’s most recognizable section, the passage in which the words “I have a dream” are passionately repeated. Indeed, King’s background as a Baptist preacher in the South instilled in him a talent for improvisation as a speaker and the skill to frame the urgency of the moment.

Based on the background knowledge of "Jim Crow" laws, historically was what going on around the 1960s when Dr. Martin Luther King was delivering his speech "I Have a Dream?" Explain. Why do you think there were so many people in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D. C. (How is Lincoln Memorial symbolic)? What do you think was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s main purpose for delivering his speech? Explain. Do you think Martin Luther King's speech was successful? Why or why not? Do you think people today remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the significant role he demonstrated during the Civil Rights Movement? Why or why not? Please write in five complete sentences. Please respond to two other participants about anything you notice differently or want to add any additional information.