Why We Can’t Wait

by

Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Emancipation Proclamation Term Analysis

The Emancipation Proclamation was an executive order signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. It granted freedom to all enslaved Black people.

The Emancipation Proclamation Quotes in Why We Can’t Wait

The Why We Can’t Wait quotes below are all either spoken by The Emancipation Proclamation or refer to The Emancipation Proclamation. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
History, Progress, and Change Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

The pen of the Great Emancipator had moved the Negro into the sunlight of physical freedom, but actual conditions had left him behind in the shadow of political, psychological, social, economic and intellectual bondage. In the South, discrimination faced the Negro in its obvious and glaring forms. In the North, it confronted him in hidden and subtle disguise.

Related Characters: Martin Luther King, Jr. (Dr. King) (speaker), Abraham Lincoln
Page Number: 12
Explanation and Analysis:
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The Emancipation Proclamation Term Timeline in Why We Can’t Wait

The timeline below shows where the term The Emancipation Proclamation appears in Why We Can’t Wait. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Introduction
History, Progress, and Change Theme Icon
Complacency, Ignorance, and the Status Quo Theme Icon
...role in the founding of the country. They also know that, although Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation 100 years ago, true racial equality has yet to come. (full context)
Chapter 1: The Negro Revolution—Why 1963?
History, Progress, and Change Theme Icon
Complacency, Ignorance, and the Status Quo Theme Icon
The 100th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation was an exciting event, but it also gave Black Americans an occasion to reflect on... (full context)
Chapter 3: Bull Connor’s Birmingham
History, Progress, and Change Theme Icon
Complacency, Ignorance, and the Status Quo Theme Icon
A full century after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation , Birmingham was a deeply racist and segregated place. It was almost as if the... (full context)