The Dream: Martin Luther King, Jr and the Speech that Inspired a Nation

by Drew D. Hansen

A riveting account of the origins and legacy of "I Have a Dream" Forty years ago, Martin Luther King, Jr. electrified the nation when he delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. King's prophetic utterances started the long overdue process of changing America's idea of itself. His words would enter the American lexicon, galvanizing the civil rights movement, becoming a touchstone for all that the country might someday achieve. The Dream is the first book about Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legendary "I Have a Dream" speech. Opening with an enthralling account of the August day in 1963 that saw 250,000 Americans converge at the March on Washington, The Dream delves into the fascinating and little-known history of King's speech. Hansen explores King's compositional strategies and techniques, and proceeds to a brilliant analysis of the "I Have a Dream" speech itself, examining it on various as a political treatise, a work of poetry, and as a masterfully delivered and improvised sermon bursting with biblical language and imagery. In tracing the legacy of "I Have a Dream" since 1963, The Dream insightfully considers how King's incomparable speech "has slowly remade the American imagination," and led us closer to King's visionary goal of a redeemed America.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Drew Hansen is a lawyer and legislator who serves in the Washington State House of Representatives. He practices law in Seattle and lives on Bainbridge Island with his family.

Reviews

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

My recommendation: read (or watch) Martin Luther King Jr's speech instead. It's so much more powerful than this analysis of why it was powerful. The first 100 pages of this book stood strong (as they mostly laid out the nascent Civil Rights movement and King's speech itself, which brought me to tears), and the sections comparing different versions of the speech to that final, impassioned delivery are interesting to read. However, we don't need Drew Hansen to tell us why this speech worked and is still studied in schools today. And then the later chapters, on King's life post-speech, between August 1963 and his assassination in 1968, are filled with a lot of very frustrating and heartbreaking moments in the Civil Rights movement.

What struck me most about this book was King's fidelity to non-violence. His many speeches - outside of his famous "I Have a Dream" speech - deal with his belief that non-violent protest could impart significant and long-lasting change on America. It's in stark contrast to the news reels we see today on the 2020 riots, protests, and rampant vandalism and destruction in cities across the US.

There is much to ponder in this book, but it doesn't require Hansen's analysis - King's work stands on its own and is astonishingly powerful, sixty years after his words were recorded.

[Michael Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

A couple months ago I took a spur of the moment trip to Washington DC. I spent most of my time going to the different museums, soaking up whatever knowledge I could about our Nation’s Art and History. I’m ashamed to say the MLK monument was low on my list of things to see. However in between visits to the Lincoln Memorial and the Jefferson Memorial I remembered that the MLK Memorial was nearby. I popped over and expected to catch a quick glimpse and move on. The memorial itself did not immediately grab me, paling in grandeur when compared to the rest of DC’s attractions. However when I began to read each of King’s quotes on the walls, I began to legitimately cry. Each quote touched me deeply to my core. I stayed at the memorial for over an hour. As I left I quickly stopped at the bookstore because I knew I had to buy a book to learn more about MLK. I chose this book because I thought the idea of a deep-dive on his most famous speech would be interesting.

Just like the memorial, this book too blew me away. I found the sections leading up to the speech incredibly informative and also very saddening. It set the scene for his famous speech very well. The section going over the day of the March was interesting, and reading the speech itself was awe-inspiring. I really liked the dive into the language of the speech and learning about Martin Luther’s history with certain phrases used within the speech. I did think the book could have been around 50 pages shorter in this part, and certain sections kind of dragged on and I began to worry the book would not pick up again. However once the author moved past the analysis of the speech and back to King’s life after the speech I found myself extremely interested once again. Learning about the difficulties King faced after his early wins in 64 and 65 was eye-opening. His dark days from 65-68 were very sad to read and even sadder when you consider that the true racism that King couldn’t beat still exists today. I’m glad the book did not dwell on his assassination but rather shifted the focus to the nation’s immediate re-contextualization of Kings famous speech and how America came to posthumously view King and his work. It’s both fascinating and frustrating.

I was amazed by this book and would recommend it to anyone who only knows King by his “I Have a Dream” speech.

[Roger Smitter · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Dream is a 40 year old book that tells us about what happened almost 60 years ago. It’s easy to pass The Dream in the library. It’s probably not in your local book store.

Drew Hansen gives us a book that fits in the culture of America in this century.

Many readers might focus on the speaker—Martin Luther King. It shows us how the words of a speech can change society. The best part tells readers that the speaker, probably the most powerful speaker of his time listened to a female in 1963—when he had began the speech HE had planned. And he was the last speaker on a miserably hot day in August in DC and when 200,000 people had come to hear King.,

The book is important piece of history. Is shows how a powerful speaker can change that he had planned.

[Mehroze Asif · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very informative when I read it, I got to learn in more detail about 1 of Martin Luther’s most famous speech I HAVE A DREAM. Also about Rosa Parks boycott and how it inspired Martin Luther King Jr. to end segregation and the Jim Crow Law. This book does have a lot of Pathos, or information that made me feel sad (emotional) for all the black people during that time period and what they had to go through. The author also states in this book about what white people did to black people when they tried to rebel or non violent protest. I would recommend for anyone to read this book and learn about the history of black Americans and their past.

[Alexander Abbe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! Near the top of my list of greatest books. It was suggested as a recommended reading for my Great American Texts: MLK class for the summer of 2021. It's an easy read and incredibly interesting. The book focuses on the context of the March on Washington, breaks down the speech and it's development (included 2-3 other drafts provided by King's aides), and examines the contemporary reception of the speech and how and why it defined King after his assassination at the expense of everything else.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Linda Lipko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellently written, engaging and informative, this book focuses on Martin Luther King's speech made at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC on August 28, 1963.

Taking paragraphs of the speech with clarity, the author outlines the meaning and impact on not only those in attendance, but those of us who have heard references to the speech long after the actual event.

Interestingly, while most focus on the "I Have a Dream" portion of MLK's speech, his original text did not include this well-known part of the speech. Noting that he felt spiritually driven to include these words, so much more of the powerful speech is unknown and unquoted.

With a booming voice and knowledge of how to reach a crowd, King clearly outlined what was due the negro in America. Not only should there be white and black holding hands, not only should there be judgement of character rather than judgment of skin color, but in addition, there should be a fair share of the economic system for Negros who were living in base poverty. There should be a commitment to adhere to the constitution that ALL men are created equal with rights for ALL.

There should not be police brutality simply because the Negro wanted to have the freedom to vote. There should not be brutality because the Negro wanted a fair share of education.
They check that Lincoln wrote and promised was overdue with insufficient funds for equality.

Over a quarter of a million people marched peacefully on Washington. There was no violence, nor was there brutality. John F. Kennedy gave approval for the march. Within a short period of time Bayard Rustin expertly coordinated all the details of how to accommodate what they hoped would be a large crowd.

While watching King's speech from the White House, Kennedy remarked "That man is good!" Inviting the key speakers and organizers back to the White House, Kennedy shook hands and gave resounding credit for the peaceful march.

As a result, while Kennedy did not live to see the enactment, The Civil Rights bill was headed for legislation.

There was a hope that no more dogs, fire hoses and clubbing would occur when non violent marches were held, simply because the Negro was asking for the rights that white people enjoyed.

Highly recommended. Four Stars!

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I decided to read a book on - who else?! - Martin Luther King, Jr. Sadly, there were very few decent looking biographies at my local library. Maybe the really good ones were all checked out or something. The Dream is really more of an examination of the “I have a dream” speech itself. Hansen discusses the improvisational portions of the speech, along with looking at the ways in which MLK sets the speech up as a sermon. He shows the ramifications of the speech on the few years after it occurred as well.

The most fascinating part of this book for me was the tables in which a reader can see the two versions of the speech - written and delivered - side by side for comparison. I am sure this has been done elsewhere, but it was very interesting to see just how very much of it MLK made up on the spot. This is not a long read; if you like communication theory or are interested in public speaking at all, The Dream is a great one to read.

[Elliot Ratzman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent introduction to the life and work of MLK from the perspective of his “I have a Dream” speech. Hansen gives us the context of the speech, some of the drama leading up to the 1963 March on Washington, an analysis of the various drafts, and an admirable history of the speech’s reception, use and abuse (opposing affirmative action using King’s words? Shame!). Many are tired of the mainstreaming of King, reducing him to this one speech as a way of watering down his radicalism, constructing an acceptable, polite vision. While taking this into account, Hansen restores the wonder of the piece’s composition, its sources in Biblical imagery, and the breathtaking—and unscripted—delivery of the last seven minutes, the “dream” material, when King turns over his prepared remarks and preaches (Mahalia Jackson on the platform egging him on ‘tell them about the dream, Martin!’). The author, who is today a progressive Democratic politician in Washington State, never hits a bad note.

[D Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m definitely placing this book on my favorites list. The 1960’s was filled with horrors, peaceful demonstrations, and promises that finally became enforced laws. The author gives a brief account of what happened immediately before and after Martin Luther King, Jr.’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech. The author also shares his analysis of King’s speech.

[Yofish · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little history of the March, and how the speech came off. Then a lot of (mostly repetitious) discussion of how he wrote the words and where his motivations and inspirations came from. I learned some history, but it seemed vary padded in the middle, but still came to only ~225 pages.

Really 3.5

[Rachel]

A very readable and interesting mix of analysis of the speech itself, and its theological and rhetorical roots, and the context of the speech and King's work. An unusual way to examine King's legacy, and very thought provoking and inspiring.

[Lee]

Re-inspired after the All Peoples Breakfast this week in San Diego.

[Alejandro Acosta · Rating 5 out of 5]

The recreation of the march, the description of the circumstances and environment those days and the analysis of the speech itself are remarkable and impressive. I really, really loved it!

[Joshua Lawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent overview of King's life and the enduring legacy of his "I Have A Dream" speech, which he delivered during the march on Washington in 1963.