How we cite our quotes: (Paragraph.Sentence)
Quote #1
One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself in exile in his own land. (3.3-4)
This is an argument against the view that equality under the law is the same as legitimate equality. Slavery was gone by 1963, and the Fourteenth Amendment made discrimination "illegal," but segregationists could still find plenty of ways to keep African Americans in the corners—denying them jobs, bank loans, transportation, voting rights…the list goes on.
Quote #2
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, a check which has come back marked insufficient funds. (4.4-5)
Most people don't remember the extent to which "I Have a Dream" references poverty. This central metaphor of the speech, the idea of a bad check, evokes the idea of financial inequality while also communicating the theme of delayed and defaulted political freedoms. MLK killed two racist birds with one metaphorical stone.
Quote #3
We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. (9.6)
Separation of minority races into ghettos was a long-term trend that began before the Civil War. The inability to escape ghettos for more economic opportunities meant many African Americans had no upward social mobility. As Faulkner said, "the past isn't dead." This definitely applied to people living in ghettos.