Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now.

There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?"

When we let 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! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now.

With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.

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.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land.

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.

Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."

When we let 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! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned.

So we have come here today to dramatize an appalling condition.

Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.

We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence.

With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, 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.

With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, 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.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt.

Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality.

No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

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.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice.

This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality.

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.

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.

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.

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."

The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to 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 and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.

One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land.

You have been the veterans of creative suffering.

Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice.

We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities.

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.

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.

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.

Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the determination of the Negro.

With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead.

This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

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.

Some of you have come fresh from narrow cells.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline.

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.

The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds.

Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."

When we let 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! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

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.

There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline.

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt.

There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?"

The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to 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 and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.

I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.