The correct answer to this open question is the following.
King makes allusion to multiple other texts in the course of his "I Have a Dream" speech.
I am going to choose two of the most important texts he used because I think they are powerful texts that had an impact not only on Dr. King but in every American.
First, the Declaration of Independence. Drafted by Thomas Jefferson with the help of other four prominent Americans like Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston, Martin Luther King used the reference of the Declaration to clearly state the natural rights of every man and woman in the United States.
Secondly, the Emancipation Proclamation, delivered by the United States President, Abraham Lincoln. The Emancipation Declaration freed all African American slaves in the southern states during the American Civil War. Dr. King used this reference to state that all US citizens were free, no matter their race or color of skin.
The impact of his use on the text was huge. Martin Luther King accomplished several things by including these references. But the most important was to clearly establish that every citizen in the United States has the same rights under the Constitution and deserves the same liberties.
