I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King (1963)

English (US) 6 minutes

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. 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 sealed in the flames of Withing in justice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity. But 100 years later, the Negro still is not free. 100 years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. 100 years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material process. Yes, this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed.

We hold these choose to be self-evident that all men are created equal. Yes. 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 they be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood? I have a dream that one day, even the state of Mississippi state sweltering with the heat of injustice sweltering with the heat of will be transformed into Oasis of freedom. Injustice. I have a dream that my four little 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. I have a dream that, that one day down in Alabama with its vicious racist with its governor, having his lips dripping with the words of interposition in nullification, yes, one day right down 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. I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day, every valley shall be exalted. And every hill in mounting shall be made low. The rough places will be made plain and the crooked places will be made straight. And the go of the Lord shall be revealed in all flesh shall see it together. This is our hope. This is a faith that I go back to the south with with this faith, we will be able to hu out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope with this faith, we will be able to transform the dangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day. This will be the day.

This will be the day with all of God's children. Yes, will be able to sing with new meaning my country, tears of the yes, Sweetland of Liberty of the I sing land, where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim pride from every mountain side, let freedom ring. And if Americas to be a great nation, this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prestigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening alligators of Pennsylvania. Noting let freedom ring from the snowcap Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the cous slopes of Colorado. Only that let freedom ring from stone. Mountain of Georgia. That freedom rang from lookout mountain of Tennessee. Let freedom ring from every hill and mall hill of Mississippi from every mountain mountainside, let freedom ring. 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 with all of God's black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles Protestants and Catholics will be able to join hand and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual at last, at last, thank God we are free at last..