USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Martin Luther King, Jr. used the phrase “Five score years ago…” in his “I Have a Dream” speech . This is a reference to President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, which originally began with “Four score and seven years ago…” As you can see, King’s phrasing is a subtle reference, hence an allusion!

Detailed explanation-2: -Right at the start of the speech, MLK makes an allusion, or reference to history, recalling the Emancipation Proclamation (2.1). In historical texts as well as literature, specific references to other texts or events can help place the document in a larger context.

Detailed explanation-3: -The first allusion was to Independence Day. He described the Declaration of Independence as a ‘’promissory note” that ‘’was a promise that all men–yes, black men as well as white men–would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Detailed explanation-4: -Many students know that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his historic speech on August 28, 1963, at the march on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. But they may not realize that the leaders of the March arranged to meet with President Kennedy in the White House on the day of the March.