In a way, he appropriated the texts to begin writing a new chapter in history, said Taj Frazier, an associate professor of communication at the University of Southern California. These historic documents come alive throughout the course of King's speech. "These political documents were forged so that we have a system of sustainability that outlined humanity, but also the political rights that have been given to all of God's children." "He's saying, 'Hey, this is the rhetoric upon which our country was founded,' Kennerson-Baty said. "He's incorporating these other voices that are more or less unimpeachable." "He's appealing to the most sacred touchstones that there are in the United States," he told.
King pulled phrases from the Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation and even the song "America (My Country, 'Tis of Thee)" to drive his points home, Miller said. In the speech, King incorporated quotations from patriotic and religious documents to put the struggle of racial inequality "in the context of the great principles of American history," said Keith Miller, an associate professor of English at Arizona State University, whose research focuses on the rhetoric and songs of the civil rights movement. "He had a masterful way of tugging at the head as well as the heart of those who wouldn't have been able to receive his messages."Īs one of the most shining examples of commanding rhetoric, ABC News delved into five reasons that made King's speech one of the most famous in history. King's speech is a masterpiece in rhetoric," Rosalind Kennerson-Baty, a full-time lecturer in the communication studies department at Baylor University told. (Floyd McKissick, who succeeded Farmer at CORE, actually delivered the speech, as Farmer was in jail for organizing civil-rights protests in Louisiana."I feel like Dr. Right to petition the government: “We will not stop until the dogs stop biting us in the South and the rats stop biting us in the North.” So wrote James Farmer, founder of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), in his speech prepared for the March on Washington.
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Constitution: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”Ĭonsider the First Amendment when answering the next two questions, about the right to petition the government and the right to peaceably assemble (freedom of assembly). Gatherings like the March on Washington are guaranteed by the First Amendment of the U.S. Young tried to keep the focus of the march on civil, not economic, rights. Whitney Young was the executive director of the National Urban League. Wilkins saw the march as a show of support for the civil rights bill then being debated in Congress. Roy Wilkins was the executive secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). At the March on Washington, Lewis cut part of his speech after other leaders thought it was too controversial and critical of the Kennedy administration. John Lewis was the youngest member of the Big Six, and president of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). He had just been arrested in Plaquemine, Louisiana, for “disturbing the peace” while organizing civil rights protests, and was still in jail. Farmer was scheduled to speak at the March on Washington, but could not attend. James Farmer founded the Congress on Racial Equality (CORE) and organized the 1961 Freedom Riders campaign, which led to the desegregation of interstate buses.
Randolph planned the March on Washington with Bayard Rustin, and delivered its opening and closing remarks. Philip Randolph was president of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the most powerful African American force in organized labor.