 "History Today: How Martin Luther King Jr’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech became a symbol of civil rights")
On August 28, 1963, the African American civil rights movement reached its peak when Martin Luther King Jr delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech before nearly 2,50,000 people at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC.
Crowds gathered in the capital to demand voting rights and equal opportunities for African Americans.
Also on this day in 1996, the 15-year marriage of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales, came to an end with the final divorce decree.
As part of Firstpost Explainers’ History Today series, here’s a look at what happened on August 26:
Martin Luther King Jr delivered “I Have a Dream” speech
Standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, Martin Luther King Jr delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech before a crowd of about 2,50,000 people.
The gathering brought together Black and White citizens, the poor and the wealthy, all united in calling for voting rights, equal opportunity for African Americans, and an end to segregation and racial discrimination.
The peaceful march was the largest demonstration ever seen in the capital, and King was the final speaker of the day.
“I have a dream,” he declared to the huge crowd stretching from the Lincoln Memorial to the Washington Monument, “that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.’ I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.”
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King had spoken of the “I have a dream” theme before, but never with the strength and impact it carried on that summer day in Washington.
He linked the civil rights movement to the founding principles of the United States, helping many see the urgency and moral weight of the struggle for equality.
Within a year of the March on Washington, the movement secured two major victories.
The first was the ratification of the 24th Amendment to the Constitution, which ended the poll tax, removing a major obstacle for poor African American voters in the South.
The second was the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which banned racial discrimination in jobs and education and made segregation in public places unlawful.
Charles and Diana divorce
On this day in 1996, Charles, Prince of Wales and heir to the British throne, and his wife, Princess Diana, officially divorced after being separated for four years.
Their wedding on July 29, 1981, was watched by nearly one billion viewers in 74 countries. In front of 2,650 guests, their marriage was celebrated as a royal love story admired across the world.
Over time, the relationship began to falter, and the strain was made worse by the constant attention of the tabloid press.
The couple announced their separation in 1992 but continued to take part in royal duties.
In August 1996, two months after Queen Elizabeth II called for them to end the marriage, they reached a final divorce settlement.
On August 31, 1997, Diana died in a car crash in Paris along with her companion Dodi Fayed.
French investigators later found that the driver, who was also killed in the crash, was heavily intoxicated and lost control while trying to outrun paparazzi who followed Diana relentlessly.
This Day, That Year
1988: Seventy people died when three Italian Air Force stunt planes collided during an air show at the US Air Base in Ramstein, West Germany.
2020: American actor Chadwick Boseman, best known for his role in Black Panther (2018), died of colon cancer at the age of 43.
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