Audience for MLK's "It's a Dark Day in Our Nation"
When Martin Luther King Jr. gave this speech, he was speaking out to the entire nation as a whole. While the crowd may not have been insanely large to listen to him speak, with the reputation, and fame he held, people all over the country, including lawmakers and politicians. During this time, the African American community was still struggling to make it through the segregation that continued to exist in America. So the audience during this time was mixed. While Martin Luther King Jr. had earned much respect from many Americans, enough so to win a nobel prize, some people would refuse to listen, and ultimately they would disagree with the ideas of Dr. King. Incorporated into this speech, Dr. King reflects on issues that America has inside its own country, and that these issues must be faced before starting war in other countries. While exploiting these faults in America, he places himself at risk because not many Americans like to listen to how bad they have acted. As a result, Americans who supported the war, and were not open to change did not agree, or appreciate the speech. It seems that Dr. King was targeting those people, and the people in charge who can make change. This strategy creates enemies, but Dr. King believed in what he had to say, to the point of putting his life on the line to make his point.