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.

I Have a DreamI Have a Dream

Dr. Martin Luther Dr. Martin Luther KingKing

Historical BackgroundHistorical 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 LawsJim 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 placesSegregation of public places

The "colored" waiting room at a bus station in The "colored" waiting room at a bus station in Durham, North Carolina, 1940, 1940

Segregation of drinking Segregation of drinking fountains fountains

An African-American youth at a "colored" drinking fountain on a courthouse lawn in Halifax, North Carolina, 1938

Segregation of restaurantsSegregation of restaurants

A segregative sign on a restaurant in Lancaster, Ohio, 1938

Segregation of restaurantsSegregation of restaurants

Separate "white" and "colored" entrances to a cafe in Durham, North Carolina, 1940

Segregation of restrooms and Segregation of restrooms and transportationtransportation

Segregation of entertainmentSegregation of entertainment

A billiard hall for African Americans in Memphis, Tennessee, 1939.

Segregation of Segregation of public schoolpublic school

The Civil Rights MovementThe Civil Rights Movement

• 1954, Supreme Court bans segregation in public schools

First day of integrated First day of integrated schoolschool

Montgomery Bus BoycottMontgomery Bus Boycott1955~19561955~1956

Rosa ParksRosa Parks

Arresting Rosa Parks on 1 Arresting Rosa Parks on 1 December, 1955December, 1955

• leaders of the black bus boycott in Montgomery: the Rev. Ralph Abernathy, and Martin Luther King Jr.,

The walk to freedomThe walk to freedom

VictoryVictory: the federal district court ruled : the federal district court ruled bus bus segregation unconstitutionalsegregation unconstitutional on 4 June 1956 on 4 June 1956

The Civil Rights MovementThe 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 MovementThe 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.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. 1962, King met with President John F. Kennedy to urge support for civil rights .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 civil-rights movement.

• 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial, King delivered the famous "I have a dream" speech.

1964, King visited West Berlin Mayor Willy 1964, King visited West Berlin Mayor Willy Brant and Pope Paul VI. Brant and Pope Paul VI.

December 10, 1965, King won December 10, 1965, King won Nobel Peace Nobel Peace Prize.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.