Purpose

To educate young children of the man who gave the speech: "I Have a Dream" and the emotions leading up to it.

Introduction

Change is hard. Most people don’t like any kind of change. So, you can imagine how hard it is to change strong beliefs. I’m talking about racism, and the idea that some folks are better than others just because of the color of their skin.

During my time, many Americans thought this was true. In some towns, black people couldn’t stay in hotels or eat in restaurants. They even had separate water fountains for us, as if our dark skin was contagious! It didn’t matter how well we did in school, how hard we worked at our jobs, or how devoted we were to our families, we were often thought of as ignorant, and even dangerous.

Despite their treatment, I always believed I was just as good as anyone else. So I set about changing not only people’s hearts and minds, but also the laws of our land.

As I put it in my famous “I Have a Dream” speech, my goal was that people of color, including my own children, could 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.

It wasn’t easy. Like I said, change is hard, even painful. Despite my brains, my supporters, and my skills as a speaker, I was challenged every day. But I never gave up believing and working toward my dream that little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I am Martin Luther King, Jr.

Timeline

Timeline (continued)

Glossary

Speech - a form of communication in spoken language, made by 

a speaker before an audience for a given purpose

Beliefs - something believed; an opinion

Racism - hatred of another race or other races

Folks - people in general

Ignorant - not having knowledge

Treatment - action or behavior toward a person

Laws - the principles and regulations established in a

community by some authority and applies to its people

Judge - to think, or hold as an opinion

Challenged - to face something

Bibliography

Duddleston, Meridee. “Girard College's Historical Connection to Martin Luther King, Jr.” WRTI, wrti.org/post/girard-colleges-historical-connection-martin-luther-king-jr.

History.com Staff. “Martin Luther King Jr.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2009, www.history.com/topics/black-history/martin-luther-king-jr.

Newsela | Martin Luther King Jr., newsela.com/text-sets/54486/mlk-jr.