Memory and the Past Quotes in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Page 4
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| Quote #10 "Five score years ago," the preacher began, "a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity. But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free." (14.28) |
King knows the history that has led to this point, but he also knows that everyone is still living in history. So Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation was a good first step—but there's a lot of marching that needs to get done. History may have happened, but it's also going to keep right on happening. We might as well make the best of it.
