How was black freedom born? However, the civil rights movement took place between the late 1950s and 1960s; Tricia Andryszewski informs her readers that black Americans were working for change before the Civil War, but especially beyond. Prominent civil rights leaders include Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Philip Randolph, and Bayard Rustin. The two main goals of civil rights activists are equal rights and treatment for all races. Accordingly, the “I Have a Dream” speech was written by Martin Luther King, Jr., a man who “led successful efforts to integrate public transportation in Montgomery, Alabama; founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to work for nonviolent social change; and influenced the passage of important civil rights laws in the United States” (Keene). The speech was adopted on August 28, 1963, during the March on Washington in Washington, D.C., at the Washington Monument. With the main theme emphasized to the audience, all people are created equal. In his “I Have a Dream” speech, Martin Luther King Jr. inspires his target audience using the rhetorical devices of repetition and allusion. With this in mind, Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous speech became the inspirational basis for equality and social harmony in the United States in the following decades. Throughout his speech, King gives several examples of what equality would actually mean for Americans. Some of its popular themes are racial equality, justice, freedom, and interracial cooperation between whites and blacks. King announces: “So we have come to cash this check, a check that will give us on demand the riches of liberty and the security of justice” (King). With this met...... middle of paper ...... Press, 1996. eLibrary. Internet. February 25, 2014. Bankston III, Carl L., ed. Speech on African-American History “I Have a Dream.” Flight. 1. Pasadena: Éditions EBSCO, 2005. Salem Press. Internet. February 23, 2014. “I have a dream: Martin Luther King's famous speech celebrates its 50th anniversary. » The Week with the First Post August 27, 2013: n. page. The week. Internet. February 25, 2014. Keene, Ann T. 1964: Martin Luther King, Jr. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998. Electronic Library. Internet. February 25, 2014.King Jr., Martin Luther. “I have a dream.” Speech. August 28, 1963. Ripples of hope. Civitas Grassroots Group: New York, 2003. 233-237. Print.L., Anson. “Rhetorical analysis of the speech “I have a dream”.” Ink for teenagers. Emerson Media, nd Web. February 23, 2014. Magner, Mike. "After the 'I Have a Dream' Speech, 'A Chill Ran Through Me' and Across the Nation." National Journal Daily August 26, 2013: n. page. National Review. Internet. March 4. 2014.