Read the excerpt from Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity. But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. Why does Dr. King's allude to the Emancipation Proclamation in his speech? The allusion demonstrates Dr. King's belief that equality was achieved with the Emancipation Proclamation. The allusion reflects Dr. King's importance since it refers to another important figure in American history: President Lincoln. The allusion indicates to the audience that slavery was always illegal in the United States. The allusion reminds the audience that 100 years have passed since the Emancipation Proclamation, yet inequality still exists.