Location: The Lincoln Memorial mirrored the opening line of the Gettysburg address which amplified the message.
Intellectual References: Works like the Emancipation Proclamation, the Constitution, and Declaration of Independence gave his speech credibility.
Vivid and Metaphorical Language
“In a sense we’ve come to our nation’s capital to cash a check.
When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence,
they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation,
America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked “insufficient funds.” But we refuse to
believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults
of opportunity of this nation. And so, we’ve come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of
freedom and the security of justice.”
Call to Action: Speech inspired change
“In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.”