100 years after President Lincoln’s famous Emancipation Proclamation, Dr. Martin Luther King said that a world of racial equality still only exists in a dream.
King, who spoke Tuesday to hundreds of thousands of black and white men and women on the National Mall, questioned the promise that had been given by our founding fathers that all men had the right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
“It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked "insufficient funds," King proclaimed.
He acknowledged that even 100 years after Lincoln freed black men and women from slavery, they still live in oppression. But this does not hinder his dream. Dr. King spoke to the energetic crowd asking for forgiveness rather than hatred, and for peace rather than violence.
“In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred,” said King
In a very Lincoln way, Dr. King acknowledged that in order for this nation to be great, we must stand as one, but the hatred will further divide. It was made clear, however, on Tuesday that the black community would not go quietly. While violence was not the answer in King’s message, it didn’t stop him from dropping a threat to the men in congress.
“Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual,” said King.........
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