More than a speech a struggle --- how the Constitution and Christianity were used as liberation tools for change: A critical analysis of three selective speeches of Frederick Douglass, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Senator Barack Obama

This study analyzes one selected speech by Fredrick Douglass, viewed through the lens of Williams Garrison, and two selected speeches delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Senator Barack Obama. These speeches reflect these historical periods...during the Antebellum, Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity eras. The selected speeches are: Fredrick Douglass's "Nantucket Convention August 1841" oration; Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech, and Senator Barack Obama's 2004 Democratic National Convention Keynote Address. Specifically, the researcher examines the contradictions of America's belief system based on the Constitution that was framed by Christianity and seeks to show how each leader used the Constitution and Christian rhetoric as "mirror" strategies to reach their social and political goals. These three orators provided future generations with the opportunity to make additional steps by using the Constitution and Christianity to call Americans to practice what they preach -- freedom, democracy and liberty, etc. This thesis focuses on three speeches and their impact for change concerning race, politics, and religious discourse.