359: Martin Luther King's Dream

In this episode of "The Rest Is History," Tom and Dominic analyze Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, providing historical context by discussing segregation, the Civil Rights Movement, and King's role as a leader. They explore the events leading up to the March on Washington in 1963, the challenges King faced from both white segregationists and more radical black activists like Malcolm X, and the speech's immediate and long-term impact. They examine King's rhetorical techniques, the religious and patriotic elements of the speech, and debate whether it is a sanitizing of King's more radical views later in his life.