Why did Martin Luther King use the Declaration of Independence?

King drew directly on the promises made in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution to call for civil rights and an end to racism. This note was a promise that all men, yes, Black men as well as White men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

What is Martin Luther King Jr purpose for writing this speech Why?

King’s purpose was to highlight the ways in which America persistently failed to live up to its promises. In a way, it is a stinging critique of the nation’s most important documents—including the Declaration of Independence. His speech concludes that, without change, the words that we hold sacred are empty rhetoric.

What did Martin Luther King say about Independence Day?

The American dream reminds us—and we should think about it anew on this Independence Day—that every man is an heir of the legacy of dignity and worth.”

What did Martin Luther King Jr quote from the Declaration of Independence?

King recited the second paragraph of the document to his congregation: “ ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by God, Creator, with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. ‘ This is a dream.

What 3 truths were self-evident?

“We hold these Truths 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.

What was MLK’s purpose for writing the I Have a Dream speech?

“I Have a Dream” is a public speech that was delivered by American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963, in which he called for civil and economic rights and an end to racism in the United States.

What parts of the Declaration of Independence did MLK reference in his speech?

For King, the Declaration of Independence, which he quoted directly from, was a promissory note that the United States would ultimately guarantee for all people “the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” As King then said, “It is obvious that America has defaulted on this promissory note.” …

What did Martin Luther King Jr say in his I have a Dream speech?

Anaphora in speeches. A classic example of anaphora comes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. King uses the anaphoral phrase, “I have a dream,” to start eight consecutive sentences: “ I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi . . . will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

What did Martin Luther King Jr say about the declaration of Independence?

The Declaration of Independence proclaimed to a world, organized politically and spiritually around the concept of the inequality of man, that the dignity of human personality was inherent in man as a living being. The Emancipation Proclamation was the offspring of the Declaration of Independence.

Who was an influence on Martin Luther King Jr?

There is, of course, the obvious influence of Mahatma Gandhi. But throughout his all-too-short life, King acknowledged his debt to such important American theologians and philosophers as Reinhold Neibuhr, Paul Tillich, Henry David Thoreau and John Dewey in his public speeches, books, articles and essays.

When did Martin Luther King jr.sign the Emancipation Proclamation?

Martin Luther King JR. On August 28, 1963, some 100 years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation freeing the slaves, a young man named Martin Luther King climbed the marble steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. to describe his vision of America.