“Our march is not yet finished”: A Historical Analysis of Civil Rights Literature

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

English

Abstract

This thesis examines four speeches on Civil Rights: Booker T Washington’s “Atlanta Compromise,” Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream,” Malcolm X’s “The Black Revolution,” and Barack Obama’s remarks at the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery marches. This paper seeks to provide a vivid exploration of the historical Civil Rights movement by exploring these speeches’ requests for action, consideration of the audience members, and rhetorical devices. It draws conclusions about the way that the Civil Rights movement has changed and developed throughout American history, from the late 1800s when Jim Crow Laws were in full swing, to 2017, when our first African American president ended his second and final term.

Honors Thesis Committee

Gloria Jones, Ph.D.; Leslie Bickford, Ph.D.; and Sherell Fuller, Ph.D.

Start Date

21-4-2017 3:15 PM

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Apr 21st, 3:15 PM

“Our march is not yet finished”: A Historical Analysis of Civil Rights Literature

DiGiorgio Campus Center, Room 221

This thesis examines four speeches on Civil Rights: Booker T Washington’s “Atlanta Compromise,” Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream,” Malcolm X’s “The Black Revolution,” and Barack Obama’s remarks at the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery marches. This paper seeks to provide a vivid exploration of the historical Civil Rights movement by exploring these speeches’ requests for action, consideration of the audience members, and rhetorical devices. It draws conclusions about the way that the Civil Rights movement has changed and developed throughout American history, from the late 1800s when Jim Crow Laws were in full swing, to 2017, when our first African American president ended his second and final term.