The overall tone of Lewis' speech was angry and strong. For some, the speech sounded too belligerent. John Lewis changed parts of his speech at the request of Martin Luther King, Jr. Lewis said he could not say no to King because King was his hero, his inspiration. The part where Lewis said they cannot wholeheartedly support the administration's civil rights bill for it is too little and too late was removed from his revised speech. Lewis' original speech "We will march through the South, through the heart of Dixie, the way Sherman did" was changed to "we will march with the spirit of love and with the spirit of dignity that we have shown here today"
