<P> Beginning with a reference to the Emancipation Proclamation , which freed millions of slaves in 1863 , King observes that : `` one hundred years later , the Negro still is not free '' . Toward the end of the speech , King departed from his prepared text for a partly improvised peroration on the theme `` I have a dream '' , prompted by Mahalia Jackson 's cry : `` Tell them about the dream , Martin ! '' In this part of the speech , which most excited the listeners and has now become its most famous , King described his dreams of freedom and equality arising from a land of slavery and hatred . Jon Meacham writes that , `` With a single phrase , Martin Luther King Jr. joined Jefferson and Lincoln in the ranks of men who 've shaped modern America '' . The speech was ranked the top American speech of the 20th century in a 1999 poll of scholars of public address . </P>
<P> Beginning with a reference to the Emancipation Proclamation , which freed millions of slaves in 1863 , King observes that : `` one hundred years later , the Negro still is not free '' . Toward the end of the speech , King departed from his prepared text for a partly improvised peroration on the theme `` I have a dream '' , prompted by Mahalia Jackson 's cry : `` Tell them about the dream , Martin ! '' In this part of the speech , which most excited the listeners and has now become its most famous , King described his dreams of freedom and equality arising from a land of slavery and hatred . Jon Meacham writes that , `` With a single phrase , Martin Luther King Jr. joined Jefferson and Lincoln in the ranks of men who 've shaped modern America '' . The speech was ranked the top American speech of the 20th century in a 1999 poll of scholars of public address . </P>
what song did martin luther king quote in his speech
what song did martin luther king quote in his speech
`` I have a dream ''
`` I have a dream ''