In the very beginning of his speech, Martin Luther King Jr. says the reason they are gathered there is, “We are here in a general sense because first and foremost we are American citizens, (That’s right) and we are determined to apply our citizenship to the fullness of its meaning” he makes the point that they all are American citizens and they have the right to live out their citizen ship with “the fullness of its meaning”. I think this is important because in the first sentence he doesn’t tell the story about Rosa because he is not there for pity, he is there to take action and change things so that they can live their lives the way a white citizen was able to, by the definition of citizenship.

Martin Luther King Jr. also points out that they are very different than a lot of the white people, “My friends, don’t let anybody make us feel that we are to be compared in our actions with the Ku Klux Klan or with the White Citizens Council. [Applause] There will be no crosses burned at any bus stops in Montgomery. (Well. That’s right) There will be no white persons pulled out of their homes and taken out on some distant road and lynched for not cooperating. [Applause] There will be nobody among us who will stand up and defy the Constitution of this nation. [Applause] We only assemble here because of our desire to see right exist. [Applause]” this shows that they as a group are meeting to try to change things, but they will not act out against anybody to make their point. They are not going to be cruel like the Ku Klux Klan, they are simply there to get their point out and try to change things. Martin Luther Kind Jr.'s group is much different than the Ku Klux Klan, and I feel as though that is why he put it into his speech.