I Have a Dream: Equality Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Paragraph.Sentence)

Quote #4

We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. (9.8)

By 1963, every citizen had the right to vote under Constitutional law, but state laws found ways to prevent African Americans from voting. For example, poll operators would require African Americans to take literacy tests, and say that they failed. Nowadays, voter ID laws are similarly controversial—some states require voters to present an ID, and others let people vote without an ID. Voter ID laws are considered by some to be discriminatory toward minorities.

Quote #5

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." (12.1)

A reference to the words of the Declaration of Independence. Martin Luther King, Jr. goes back to the origins of America to cast the Civil Rights Movement as a protest with historical precedent, rather than a demand for new freedoms. This was an appeal to the white establishment. If you can have it, we should have it too.