12 Chapter 8 I Have a Dream

Chapter 8 I Have a Dream Birmingham proved to black people all around the country what protesting could do. From North Carolina to Tennessee to Oklahoma, black Americans marched and held sit-ins. They held protests in front of government buildings. Gradually, thousands of lunch counters, hotels, schools, and parks became integrated. Then, on June 11, 1963, President Kennedy asked Congress to pass a Civil Rights Bill. Kennedy said, "I am . . . asking the Congress to enact legislation giving all Americans the right to be served in facilities which are open to the public—hotels, restaurants and theaters, retail stores and similar establishments. This seems to me to be an elementary right."

我有一个梦想伯明翰向全国的黑人证明了抗议的力量。 从北卡罗来纳州到田纳西州再到俄克拉何马州，美国黑人举行游行和静坐。 他们在政府大楼前举行抗议。 渐渐地，成千上万的午餐柜台、旅馆、学校和公园变得融为一体。 1963年6月11日，肯尼迪总统要求国会通过一项民权法案。 肯尼迪说:“我是……要求国会颁布立法，赋予所有美国人在对公众开放的设施中享受服务的权利——酒店、餐馆、剧院、零售商店和类似场所。 在我看来，这是一项基本权利。”

On August 28, 1963, Martin and other black leaders led a march to Washington, D.C. They wanted to show Congress how many people supported the Civil Rights Bill. More than two hundred and fifty thousand Americans came from all over the United States. Many rode in cars and buses. Others flew in airplanes. Some walked. Some roller-skated. Most of the marchers were black. But there were also thousands of white people. They, too, felt that the laws of segregation were unjust. The people marched toward the Lincoln Memorial, singing along the way.

1963年8月28日，马丁和其他黑人领袖向华盛顿特区游行 他们想让国会知道有多少人支持民权法案。 超过25万美国人来自美国各地。 许多人乘坐小汽车和公共汽车。 其他人坐飞机。一些走。 一些滑旱冰。大多数游行者是黑人。 但也有成千上万的白人。 他们也认为种族隔离的法律是不公正的。 人们向林肯纪念堂行进，一路上唱着歌。

Many leaders spoke that day, but Martin was unforgettable. Martin had written a speech. But he did not read it. Once he faced the crowd, he remembered a speech he'd given a few months before. In that speech, he had used the phrase "I have a dream" over and over to express his hopes for the future. Martin wanted to use those same words again. So he put down his script and spoke. His dream was "that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. . . ." He had a dream that one day people would judge his four young children for who they were and not by the color of their skin.

那天许多领导人发表了讲话，但马丁令人难忘。 马丁写了一篇演讲稿。 但是他没有看。当他面对人群时，他想起了几个月前的一次演讲。 在那次演讲中，他一遍又一遍地使用“我有一个梦想”这句话来表达他对未来的希望。 马丁想把同样的话再说一遍。 于是他放下稿子开始说话。 他的梦想是“有一天，在佐治亚的红色山岗上，昔日奴隶的儿子和昔日奴隶主的儿子能够亲如手足地坐在一起。” “他有一个梦想，希望有一天人们会以他的四个孩子是谁来评价他们，而不是以他们的肤色。

Martin's speech ended on a powerful note of hope. He believed that, when that day came, everyone could join hands and sing the words to an old slave song: "Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, we are free at last." The march and Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speech were carried on television stations. It was the first time millions of Americans heard Martin speak. His words inspired the crowd. His words inspired

马丁的演讲以充满希望的语气结束。 他相信，当那一天到来的时候，每个人都可以手拉手，唱一首古老的奴隶歌曲:“终于自由了，终于自由了。” 感谢全能的上帝，我们终于自由了。” 这次游行和马丁·路德·金的演讲在电视台播出。 这是数百万美国人第一次听到马丁的演讲。 他的话鼓舞了群众。 他的话鼓舞了我

the nation. His words inspired the entire world. Because of this speech, Martin Luther King, Jr., became the voice of the civil rights movement. THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS

这个国家。他的话鼓舞了整个世界。 正是因为这次演讲，马丁·路德·金成为了民权运动的代言人。 葛底斯堡演说

ALMOST EXACTLY ONE HUNDRED YEARS BEFORE PRESIDENT KENNEDY'S SPEECH TO CONGRESS ABOUT THE CIVIL RIGHTS BILL, PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN DELIVERED THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS. IT, TOO, WAS ABOUT CIVIL RIGHTS. IT IS STILL ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS SPEECHES In AMERICAN HISTORY.

在肯尼迪总统向国会发表关于民权法案的演讲几乎整整100年前，亚伯拉罕·林肯总统发表了葛底斯堡演说。 它也是关于公民权利的。 这仍然是美国历史上最著名的演讲之一。