I Have a Dream

I would like to accept the challenge of choosing three words that I found particularly significant in Martin Luther King Junior’s speech “I Have a Dream.” This monumental speech has been used time and time again and until today, I had not read this speech in its entirety. My three words are taken from the line, “This note was the 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.”

Every human being in America has the right to a life of their choosing. Our time here on Earth is precious and can not be taken for granted. A “life” also includes the promise of a free life – one that can be defined personally by each individual’s hopes and desires. I wonder what King would say today after discovering our newly elected African American president. America has struggled to close the gap between cultures – and has managed this with leaps and bounds in the past few decades.

Liberty can be defined as the quality or state of being free; the power to do as one pleases. The whole concept of a “free” America can be summed up by this definition. When our forefathers set the laws and grounds for the future, African Americans (forced to relocate to this country) were denied this right.

The pursuit of happiness is one that never ceases. America was supposed to offer everyone the choice and opportunity to prosper. This freedom was kept from a large population of citizens. King discusses the fierce urgency to act NOW. Granted, this speech was written many years ago… but even today there are still injustices in society that are hindering every person the chance to find their happiness.