I Have a Dream: Writings and Speeches That Changed the World Short Essay Assignments

Short Essay Questions

The 60 short essay questions listed in this section require a one to two sentence answer. They ask students to demonstrate a deeper understanding of the text. Students must describe what they've read, rather than just recall it.

Short Essay Question - Part 1: Chapter 1-3

1. What happened on December 1, 1955, to initiate the forward movement of the Civil Rights Movement?

2. What happened on December 5, 1955?

3. According to King's speech "Our Struggle," why did many black men lose their self-respect?

4. According to King's speech "Our Struggle," why did he think that white people thought blacks deserved (and enjoyed) second-class status?

5. According to King's speech "Our Struggle," what would it take for the "master race" to civilize African Americans "to a degree"?