Understanding The Power Of Martin Luther King's 'I Have A Dream' Speech

On the 23rd of August, 1963, Martin Luther King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. It marked the height of the Civil Rights movement and, in one fell swoop, would change the minds of many doubters and solidify the thoughts of those not sure.

It is, without a doubt, one of the greatest speeches of modern civilization. In this video, you will discover what makes this speech and any speech more powerful. This video can even help you polish your own public speaking skills when you need to go up to the pulpit.

I wanted to examine Martin Luther King’s genius in:

The delivery of the speech
The writing of the speech
The techniques used

This is a Jacques Gaines Doc-series Learning Drop

Here are the video chapters:

00:00 Intro
00:07 Other influential speeches
00:50 How Martin Luther King’s speech compares to other great speeches
01:05 When did the “I Have a Dream” speech occur
01:23 The first time I heard the MLK “ I Have a Dream” speech
01:32 Why is the I Have a Dream” speech so effective?
02:07 The Martin Luther King I Have a Dream” speech history
02:31 Who wrote the I Have a Dream” speech?
03:11 What was happening in America at the time of the I Have a Dream” speech?
03:35 Where was the Martin Luther King I Have a Dream” speech presented?
04:11 King’s oratory techniques used during the I Have a Dream” speech
04:34 The use of Repetition
05:21 The use of Symbolism
06:21 The use of Emotion
06:50 A balance between Optimism and Realism
08:20 The speech alludes to everyone
09:04 The use of Inclusiveness
09:45 Using strategic pauses
10:33 King’s Use of Anaphora
11:35 King’s defines strong calls to action
12:08 A speech that motivated a nation to change (Conclusion)
12:45 Answer Jacques Gaines’ questions

The link to my more detailed blog post about this speech is here:

Other fantastic resources to learn more about MLK:

Audio of the speech on NPR:

Beautiful images that document American history at your fingertips (Libray of Congress)

A really cool article about cool unknown facts about this speech

Nerdwriter's amazing video about King's speech techniques. If you are not already subscribed to this guy, do it now.

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[tapy_tap]

4:26 - Persuasive skills
- A lot of repetition of the word dream throughout the speech
- Symbolic language paints an image that resonates with the audience
6:05 - Example of symbolic language
- Inclusive language, making the audience feel as though the dream is shared between all
- Good balance between realism and optimism
- Many widely understood allusions (e.g bible, constitution, American ideals etc...)
- Strategic and skilful use of pauses to let his message sink in
- Memorable phrases (anaphora) - e.g "Let freedom ring" " "100 years later) and more
- It was good call to action (go back to Mississippi and demand your rights)

[dvrsweet]

Thank you for this. As a struggling songwriter, I’m going to consider the devices (and message) Dr. King used.