Holding Fast to King’s Dream 50 Years Later

"Dreams" by Langston Hughes
Hold fast to dreams / For if dreams die / Life is a broken-winged bird / That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams / For when dreams go / Life is a barren field / Frozen with snow.

Two score and 10 years ago, a great American stood in the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial and gave what will go down in history as one of the greatest speeches in the history of our nation.

Fifty years ago this month, Martin Luther King, Jr., presented his famous “I Have a Dream” speech in front of an estimated 250,000 people. Given during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, the impassioned speech is perhaps the most defining moment in the civil rights movement of the 1960s, and his powerful message still rings a chord deep within us.

“I Have a Dream” calls us to embrace equal rights, seek the freedoms guaranteed by the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, and end racial discrimination, encapsulated best by King’s declaration, “I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

Fifty years later, the issues King takes up in “I Have a Dream” remain relevant. Not only did the speech become one of history’s most eloquent pieces of prose, but it also cemented King’s legacy. Today, students throughout the world study “I Have a Dream” for its historical significance and message of hope.

To help your homeschool celebrate the golden anniversary of “I Have a Dream” on August 28, we’ve provided a few educational resources to study the speech from a literary and historical standpoint. More importantly though, we hope the speech serves as a reminder for the next generation of our country to never be afraid to dream.

Printable Educational Resources
I Have a Dream Worksheet
I Have a Dream Worksheet Answer Key

15 Question Quiz
Quiz Answer Key