Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" Speech, delivered 28 August 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C.

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words only definitions & notes
  1. Negro spiritual
    a kind of religious song originated by Blacks in the southern United States
    And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

    Free at last!
  2. swelter
    be uncomfortably hot
    This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality.
  3. bad check
    a check that is dishonored on presentation because of insufficient funds
    Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."
  4. curvaceous
    (of a woman's body) having a large bosom and pleasing curves
    Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.
  5. tranquilize
    make calm or still
    This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism.
  6. civil right
    right belonging to a person by reason of citizenship
    There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?"
  7. hew out
    make or shape as with an axe
    With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.
  8. promissory note
    a promise to pay a specified amount on demand or at a certain time
    When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.
  9. manacle
    shackle that can be locked around the wrist
    One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination.
  10. beacon light
    a tower with a light that gives warning of shoals to passing ships
    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.
  11. molehill
    a mound of earth made by moles while burrowing
    Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.
  12. unalienable
    incapable of being repudiated or transferred to another
    This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
  13. redemptive
    preserving someone from some evil or error
    Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.
  14. mountainside
    the side or slope of a mountain
    Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,

    From every mountainside, let freedom ring!
  15. Negro
    a person with dark skin who comes from Africa
    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.
  16. default on
    fail to pay up
    It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned.
  17. invigorate
    give life or energy to
    This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality.
  18. dramatize
    put into a form intended for performance
    And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.
  19. jangle
    make a sound typical of metallic objects
    With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.
  20. militancy
    a combative aggressiveness
    The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny.
  21. hallow
    render holy by means of religious rites
    We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now.
  22. sear
    become superficially burned (also figurative)
    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.
  23. engulf
    flow over or cover completely
    The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny.
  24. Allegheny
    a river that rises in Pennsylvania and flows north into New York and then back south through Pennsylvania again to join the Monongahela River at Pittsburgh which is the beginning of the Ohio River
    Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.
  25. nullification
    counteracting or overriding the effect or force of something
    I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
  26. ghetto
    a poor densely populated city district
    We cannot be satisfied as long as the negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one.
  27. segregation
    the act of keeping apart
    One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination.
  28. tranquility
    an untroubled state that is free from disturbances
    And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights.
  29. jangling
    like the discordant ringing of nonmusical metallic objects striking together
    With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.
  30. quicksand
    a pit filled with loose wet sand into which objects are sucked down
    Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.
  31. freedom
    the power to act, speak, or think without being controlled
    I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.
  32. wallow
    roll around
    Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.
  33. inextricably
    in a manner incapable of being disentangled or untied
    And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.
  34. urgency
    an earnest and insistent necessity
    We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now.
  35. transform
    change or alter in appearance or nature
    I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
  36. brotherhood
    the family relationship between two male offspring
    Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.
  37. hilltop
    the peak of a hill
    And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.
  38. racist
    a person with a belief in the superiority of one people
    I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
  39. brutality
    the trait of extreme cruelty
    We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality.
  40. devotee
    an ardent follower and admirer
    There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?"
  41. languish
    become feeble
    One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land.
  42. nation
    a politically organized body of people under a government
    I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.
  43. hew
    make or shape as with an axe
    With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.
  44. Alabama
    a state in the southeastern United States on the Gulf of Mexico; one of the Confederate states during the American Civil War
    Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.
  45. justice
    the quality of being fair, reasonable, or impartial
    But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt.
  46. slum
    a district of a city marked by poverty
    Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.
  47. stagger
    walk with great difficulty
    And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality.
  48. tribulation
    an annoying or frustrating or catastrophic event
    I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations.
  49. mobility
    the quality of moving freely
    We cannot be satisfied as long as the negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one.
  50. interposition
    the act of putting something between two things
    I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
  51. Rockies
    the chief mountain range of western North America
    Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.
  52. insufficient
    of a quantity not able to fulfill a need or requirement
    Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."
  53. Mississippi
    a state in the Deep South on the gulf of Mexico
    We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote.
  54. exalt
    praise, glorify, or honor
    I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."2
  55. gentile
    a Christian as contrasted with a Jew
    And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

    Free at last!
  56. oasis
    a shelter serving as a place of safety or sanctuary
    I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
  57. hamlet
    a community of people smaller than a village
    And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

    Free at last!
  58. Declaration of Independence
    the document recording the proclamation of the second Continental Congress (4 July 1776) asserting the independence of the Colonies from Great Britain
    When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.
  59. wither
    lose freshness, vigor, or vitality
    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.
  60. racial
    of or related to groups of people sharing distinctive traits
    Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice.
  61. withering
    any weakening or degeneration
    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.
  62. injustice
    the practice of being unfair
    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.
  63. hallowed
    worthy of religious veneration
    We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now.
  64. degenerate
    a person whose behavior deviates from what is acceptable
    We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence.
  65. Georgia
    a state in southeastern United States
    Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.
  66. batter
    strike violently and repeatedly
    And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality.
  67. cripple
    deprive of the use of a limb, especially a leg
    One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination.
  68. Independence
    a city in western Missouri
    When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.
  69. bankrupt
    financially ruined
    But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt.
  70. creative
    having the ability or power to invent or make something
    We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence.
  71. quest
    the act of searching for something
    And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality.
  72. symbolic
    relating to or using arbitrary signs
    Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
  73. overlook
    have a view of something from above
    It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment.
  74. momentous
    of very great significance
    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.
  75. default
    an option that is selected automatically
    It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned.
  76. discord
    lack of agreement or harmony
    With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.
  77. citizenship
    membership in a state with rights and duties
    And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights.
  78. New Hampshire
    a state in New England; one of the original 13 colonies
    And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.
  79. discrimination
    unfair treatment of a person or group based on prejudice
    One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination.
  80. emerge
    come out into view, as from concealment
    The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.
  81. Almighty
    terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
    Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!
  82. captivity
    the state of being imprisoned
    It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.
  83. prodigious
    great in size, force, extent, or degree
    And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.
  84. symphony
    a long and complex sonata for an orchestra
    With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.
  85. vault
    a burial chamber (usually underground)
    We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation.
  86. emancipation
    freeing someone from the control of another
    Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
  87. majestic
    having or displaying great dignity or nobility
    Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.
  88. oppression
    the act of subjugating by cruelty
    I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
  89. South Carolina
    a state in the Deep South; one of the original 13 colonies
    Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.
  90. architect
    someone who creates plans to be used in making something
    When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.
  91. funds
    assets in the form of money
    Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."
  92. persecution
    causing someone to suffer
    And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality.
  93. guarantee
    an unconditional commitment that something will happen
    This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
  94. fund
    a reserve of money set aside for some purpose
    Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."
  95. demonstration
    a show or display
    I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.
  96. proclamation
    a formal public statement
    Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
  97. America
    North America and South America and Central America
    It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned.
  98. joyous
    full of or characterized by happiness
    It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.
  99. exalted
    of high moral or intellectual value
    I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."2
  100. Louisiana
    a state in southern United States on the Gulf of Mexico
    Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.
  101. Colorado
    a state in west central United States in the Rocky Mountains
    Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.
  102. desolate
    providing no shelter or sustenance
    Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice.
  103. decree
    a legally binding command or decision
    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.
  104. Tennessee
    a state in east central United States
    Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.
  105. legitimate
    in accordance with accepted standards or principles
    This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality.
  106. righteousness
    the quality of adhering to moral principles
    No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."¹
  107. pledge
    a binding commitment to do or give or refrain from something
    And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.
  108. valley
    a long depression in the surface of the land
    Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice.
  109. despair
    a state in which all hope is lost or absent
    Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.
  110. obligation
    the state of being bound to do or pay something
    Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."
  111. veteran
    a person who has served in the armed forces
    You have been the veterans of creative suffering.
  112. creed
    any system of principles or beliefs
    I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."
  113. exile
    the act of expelling a person from their native land
    One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land.
  114. threshold
    the starting point for a new state or experience
    But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds.
  115. engage
    consume all of one's attention or time
    This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism.
  116. Protestant
    an adherent of Protestantism
    And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

    Free at last!
  117. Jew
    member of a community whose traditional religion is Judaism
    And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

    Free at last!
  118. Constitution
    the constitution written at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787 and subsequently ratified by the original thirteen states
    When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.
  119. Pennsylvania
    a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
    Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.
  120. luxury
    something that is an indulgence rather than a necessity
    This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism.
  121. prosperity
    the condition of having good fortune
    One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity.
  122. grant
    let have
    And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights.
  123. Carolina
    the area of the states of North Carolina and South Carolina
    Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.
  124. citizen
    a native or naturalized member of a state
    It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned.
  125. pursuit
    the act of following in an effort to overtake or capture
    This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
  126. content
    satisfied or showing satisfaction with things as they are
    And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual.
  127. poverty
    the state of having little or no money and possessions
    One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity.
  128. fatal
    bringing death
    It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment.
  129. California
    a state in the western United States on the Pacific
    Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.
  130. sacred
    made, declared, or believed to be holy
    Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."
  131. former
    the first of two or the first mentioned of two
    I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
  132. New York
    the largest city in New York State and in the United States
    We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote.
Created on Wed Dec 07 14:55:04 EST 2011

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