Clarence Jones offered a metaphor for the unfulfilled promise of constitutional rights for African Americans, which King incorporated into the final text: “America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned” (King, “I Have a Dream,” 82). Dr Martin Luther King, Jr on an official visit to the WCC, June 1967. Dr Martin Luther King, Jr as he set aside a prepared speech and began to describe his “dream” for America. Clarence Benjamin Jones (born January 8, 1931) is the former personal counsel, advisor, draft speech writer and close friend of Martin Luther King Jr. Clarence B. Jones: A Guiding Hand Behind 'I Have A Dream' Clarence Jones played an integral but mostly unseen role in the 1963 March on Washington. Jones, King’s lawyer and advisor, was instrumental in drafting the speech, which wasn’t finalized until 3:30am on the day of the event—and which didn’t include the speech’s most famous line, “I have a dream.” - Arianna Huffington 'The words 'I Have a Dream' are as applicable today as they were all those years ago. If not for two spontaneous, subtle, impeccably-timed acts, the iconic phrase “I Have a Dream” delivered by Martin Luther King, Jr. on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial may have … "I Have a Dream" is a public speech that was delivered by American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963, in which he called for civil and economic rights and an end to racism in the United States. In signing this historic declaration in 1863, Abraham Lincoln had begun a legal process that would lead to the end of slavery in the United States. eval(ez_write_tag([[468,60],'christiantoday_com-box-3','ezslot_9',113,'0','0'])); "Everything that is celebrated about that speech was completely spontaneous," said a man who should know. Jones was introduced by Ambassador Betty E. King, head of the US mission to Geneva-based United Nations agencies, who said that the 1963 March for Jobs and Freedom was “the largest demonstration in the history of the United States” and “marked the beginning of a transformation of American law and life.”. Author of the book Behind the Dream: The Making of the Speech that Transformed America, he is currently a visiting professor at the University of San Francisco. He refers to King's inspiration that day as "capturing lightning in a bottle. Correct answers: 1 question: Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. cowrote his I Have a Dream speech with his close confidant Clarence Jones. The nation and the world seem not to have heeded that lesson. Clarence B. Jones: A Guiding Hand Behind ‘I Have A Dream’ August 27, 2013. “The first seven paragraphs came from the text of what I wrote,” Jones said of the speech. In 1962, Martin Luther King wrote a letter recommending his lawyer and advisor, Clarence B. Jones, to the New York State Bar, stating: “Ever since I have known Mr. Jones, I have always seen him as a man of sound judgment, deep insights, and great dedication. "The first seven paragraphs came from the text of what I wrote," Jones said of the speech. In the two years following the Washington march, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 were passed and signed into law. "eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'christiantoday_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_0',156,'0','0'])); As King set aside his manuscript, according to Jones, "his whole body language changed to that of a Baptist preacher. The nation and the world seem not to have heeded that lesson. Behind The Dream provides a beautiful glimpse at the origins of an enduring work. Clarence Jones was quick to remind his audience that there was more to King than words alone. Martin Luther King learned from the teaching and example of Gandhi that the key to reconciliation is forgiveness.eval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'christiantoday_com-banner-1','ezslot_3',119,'0','0'])); "People today need to learn from the past," he concluded, "yet we also need to look forward to a time when the rights lessons have been learned.". Jones explained that he had written a manuscript for King that was based on conversations in which they pondered what might be included in an address on the 100th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. Jones explained that he had written a manuscript for King that was based on conversations in which they pondered what might be included in an address on the 100th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. He confessed that, despite US churches’ many high-minded resolutions, “we have achieved neither a desegregated church nor a desegregated society. it was all spontaneous and extemporaneous,” says Jones. Then came the moment when African American gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, standing near the speaker, called out, "Tell them about the Dream, Martin! Violence may put down an enemy temporarily, but it also breeds hatred, division, and open hostility, until it breaks out again into more violence. Violence may put down an enemy temporarily, but it also breeds hatred, division, and open hostility, until it breaks out again into more violence. “Nonviolent resistance has been strategically superior” to violent approaches, Jones argued. In the two years following the Washington march, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 were passed and signed into law.