ites, King could have dwelt on graphic depictions of this violence and been justified in doing so. Instead he chose to minimize brutality and injustice in favor of focusing on positive experiences in a future in which society would be color blind: "King self-consciously invoked 'the American dream' and the Declaration of Independence on numerous occasions, emphasizing their 'amazing universalism' and treating discriminatory practices as 'strange paradoxes'" (Sunstein 257).
In quoting from the Declaration of Independence in "I Have a Dream" speech, King suggested to white listeners that black people view themselves as Americans. All his people wanted was the freedom and equality that was guaranteed all citizens by the founding fathers. In choosing this philosophical approach, King made it possible for all listeners, regardless of race to identify with his dream. The picture of freedom that King paints in "I Have A Dream" would make it difficult for any red-blooded American to disagree with his vision of America's future: "King was at his best, placing civil rights not in the narrow context of region or race but in the most universal Christian tradition. His appeal to a general sense of justice might not have changed the hearts of racists, but it moved reasonable Americans" (Steigerwald 54). By focusing idealistic principles in his speech, King was able to unite his listeners bas
...