The Emancipation Proclamation signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 was the executive order designed to give the slaves federal legal status. Long after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, the Negro was still not free. One man had a dream in which all men and women regardless of skin color were all treated equally. That man was Martin Luther King. That dream came true because of his efforts and his resiliency through all the hardships.
Slavery in the United States dates back as far as the 1600s. Private business companies would conduct slave trade throughout the Americas and “in 1648, the trade with North America, including the slave trade, was opened to private businessmen” (da Silva, 2011). Black slaves were brought over to the United States from African countries and sold to private owners. These black men and women would serve their masters in everyday lives. In the 1600’s African slaves were used as a cheap source of labor throughout the American colonies. In the 1700’s and 1800’s the African slaves worked mainly on plantations which was back breaking labor. Throughout history the African slaves were treated inhumanly and were not afforded any rights or any pursue of happiness.
On January 1st, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed into effect the Emancipation Proclamation. Initially the emancipation Proclamation was only designed to free the slaves of the rebellion states “The …show more content…
King’s speech was designed to imbed itself in the minds of the American people and show that all the injustice and discrimination was not just morally wrong but unethical as well. King’s speech proved to the people that the government did indeed promise equality for all men and women and it let primarily the government know that their lack of action and upholding of what was signed into laws hundreds of years ago was wrong and