After reading Dr.Martin Luther King’s message on ways to deal with oppression and watching his speech “I Have a Dream” think about the power of his approach to years of social injustice for African Americans.

After reading Dr.Martin Luther King’s message on ways to deal with oppression and watching his speech "I Have a Dream" think about the power of his approach to years of social injustice for African Americans. Prior to the Civil Rights Movement of the Sixties, segregation in the South was strongly in place. Few people ever had the courage to demand changes. His peaceful but powerful message drew upon his core values and those of millions of Americans from all walks of life.

For thousands of years, Native Americans lived in harmony with nature, the land, and all living things. While there may have been confrontations with other tribes,they shared the common belief that the land and its inhabitants are sacred. Even in the face of continued social injustice, their voices and songs have risen, calling for strength, wisdom, and healing.

As waves of immigrants began to arrive from Europe and populations grew, each cultural group brought its own cultural beliefs, each wrapped in courage and determination to build a better life. For centuries now, racial and ethnic diversity has been woven into the fabric of this land we call America. It is highly unikely that the men who wrote the Constitution and established the foundation of this country had any idea this document would live and grow with the changes of a diverse population of men and women from all over the world.

Even today, millions of people risk all they have to make the trip to America one way or another. This is not now nor has never been an easy journey. Why do they do that?What is it that sets America apart from all other nations? As you consider the richnesss of your own heritage and the courage it has taken to bring us to this moment in time, what are common denominators we all share?

As we conclude this semester and look back at all we have learned, we must reach down and focus on that which is good. After considering all we have read and experienced this semester, write a three to four page essay examining those things that set America apart from other nations today. What are the positve factors woven into our personal lives, our communties, and our nation as a whole that contribute to its strength and preservation ? How can we all tap into those and allow the American dream of freedom, equality, and wholeness to remain a beacon of hope for ourselves and the world in which we now live?

Please use MLA format. Of course, this essay is to be your own expression of these issues. If you do happen to use a line or two that is from somewhere or someone else, please remember to credit your source.