Name: ___________________________________________________________________
Common Core
Period: _____________
In 1963, two-hundred thousand people marched to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. in support of the civil rights
movement. The culmination of the event was a famous speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., known as the “I Have A
Dream” speech. In it, King described his vision of the future of race relations in America.
I Have a Dream
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of
Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice…
But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free. One
hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and
the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corner
of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to
dramatize a shameful condition…
When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the
Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was
to fall heir. 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 pursuit of happiness…
Nineteen sixty three is not the end, but a beginning….I say to you today, my friends, that in spite
of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted
in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed:
“We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal.”
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be
judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today!
Decree: an order having the force of law
Beacon light: source of hope or inspiration
Withering injustice: lack of freedom
Manacles of segregation: injustice of separation of the races
Summarize the main idea of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speech
Languishing: suffering, or growing weak
Dramatize: to present or represent
Appalling: horror, dismay or disgust
Life, Liberty, Pursuit of Happiness: ideas of the Declaration of
Independence
Use the text and your knowledge in social studies to answer these questions. Be sure to use text based evidence on every
answer you can.
1. Whose “great shadow” is Martin Luther King, Jr. standing in? Why is this person so great?
2. How does Martin Luther King, Jr. describe living conditions for African Americans? Underline your evidence and write
these conditions in your own words.
3. Why do you think Martin Luther King, Jr. decided to reference the Constitution and Declaration of Independence in this
speech?
4. What was/is the American Dream?
5. What is Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream? How does it compare to the American Dream?
Now that you have finished reading Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream speech, use your knowledge in social studies to
compose a letter from Lincoln to King about his reactions to the speech. You must include the main ideas of the speech as
well as how Lincoln believes things have changed for African Americans over time. Also predict what the outcome will be
from King’s speech for African Americans.
Use at least five words from the list below:
appalling, segregation, discrimination, dramatize (dramatization), injustice, achieve, acquire,
circumstance, constrain, react, sufficient, exclude, comment, deduce, justify
Possible sentences: Throughout history, African Americans have ______. During my presidency, African Americans __________.
Your speech has changed the course of history. It will _____________ because ___________.