Page 55 - All About History - Issue 12-14

“I have a dream”

artin Luther King, the pastor who
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR believed in nonviolent protest,
American, 1929-1968
addressed the hundreds of
thousands of people gathered in
Born in Atlanta and
Brief allegedly named MWashington DC with these words:
after the German
Bio religious reformer “I am happy to join with you today in what will
Martin Luther, King go down in history as the greatest demonstration
was a bright student, skipping for freedom in the history of our nation.” The date
the ninth and 12th grades and was 28 August 1963 and while he spoke the words
enrolling at college without
formally completing high school. confidently, no one really knew how significant his
The son of a reverend, King was role and the words he was yet to speak in sharing
initially sceptical of religion but his iconic dream would be in bringing it to life.
changed his mind and entered
the seminary. He fought for civil The day’s events – known officially as The March
rights, with his “I have a dream” on Washington for Jobs and Freedom – had been
speech arguably his most iconic
moment. He was assassinated in planning since December 1962. An original focus
aged 39. on unemployment among the black population
had swiftly expanded to include the broader issue
of segregation and discrimination and soon a
programme of speeches, song and prayer had been
arranged, reflecting a powerful vision of racial
equality. Dr Martin Luther King – the man now
synonymous with the march and arguably black
history itself – was last on the bill.
Proceedings started early. Word of the march
had spread far and wide and at 8am the first of 21
chartered trains arrived in the capital, followed by
more than 2,000 buses and ten aeroplanes – all in
addition to standard scheduled public transport.
Around 1,000 people – black and white – poured
into Lincoln Memorial every five minutes, including
a number of well-known celebrities, which gave the
march extra visibility. Charlton Heston and Burt
Lancaster were among the demonstrators, as was
Marlon Brando, brandishing an electric cattle prod
– a less-than-subtle symbol of police brutality. Soon

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