Perhaps on of the most influential speeches in American history was given by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Washington, DC, in 1963. Dr. King was a Baptist pastor but is better known as a civil rights leader. He became famous as a young minister, still in his 20s, when he organized a bus boycott in Birmingham, Alabama after Rosa Parks, a black woman, was arrested for refusing to give up her seat for a white passenger.
Dr. King and others organized a "March on Washington" to peacefully protest the abuses and lack of freedoms suffered by black Americans. His speech made a big impact on the way that Americans thought about race and the importance of protecting the rights of others.
Your assignment is this: you are to watch a video of the speech (which you can find here) then bring me a note of confirmation from home written and signed by a parent. The note should say "I will personally vouch for the fact that (your name here) watched the I Have a Dream Speech". (Then parent signature).
We will discuss the speech in class next week, then (drum roll) you will have your own public speaking debut. Fun will be had by all.
