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 seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of bad captivity.
The great American signed the "Proclamation for the Emancipation of Negro Slaves", and today we are gathering in front of his statue. This solemn declaration is like the light of a beacon, bringing hope to the millions of black slaves who have been tortured in the unrighteous fire that destroys lives. Its arrival is like a joyous dawn, ending the long night of restraining black people.
But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we&39;ve come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.
However, today, one hundred years later, we must face up to the tragic fact that black people have not yet been free. Today, one hundred years later, under the shackles of apartheid and the shackles of racial discrimination, the lives of blacks are being squeezed; today, one hundred years later, blacks are still living on an isolated island of poverty in a sea of material abundance; 100 Today, two years later, black people are still shrinking in the corner of American society, and they realize that they are exiles in their homeland. We are here today to make this appalling situation public.
In a sense we&39;ve come to our nation&39;s capital to cash a check. 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 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." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."
In a sense, today we are gathered to the capital of our country in order to fulfill our promise. When the founders of our Republic drafted the Constitution and Declaration of Independence, they made a promise to every American with magnificent words. They promised to give all people the inalienable right to survival, freedom and the pursuit of happiness. As far as citizens of color are concerned, the United States has obviously not fulfilled her promise. The United States has not fulfilled this sacred obligation. It just wrote a blank check to the black people, stamped the check with "insufficient funds" and returned it. But we don’t believe that the bank of justice has gone bankrupt. We don’t believe that there are not enough reserves in the country’s vast pool of opportunities. So today we demand that the check be cashed in this check-it will give us precious freedom and the protection of justice.
But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we&39;ve come to cash this check, a check that will give us Upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.
But we don’t believe that the bank of justice has gone bankrupt. We don’t believe that there are not enough reserves in this country’s huge pool of opportunities. So today we demand that the check be cashed in this check-it will give us precious freedom and the protection of justice.
We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promisesof democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God&39;s children.
We also came to this holy place to remind the United States that now is a very urgent time. This is never the time to talk about calming down or taking gradual sedatives. Now is the time to fulfill the promise of democracy. Now is the time to climb the bright road of racial equality from the desolate and dark valley of apartheid, and now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all the children of God.
It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro&39;s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. 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. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.
If the United States ignores the urgency of time and underestimates the determination of black people, then this will be fatal to the United States. If the hearty autumn of freedom and equality does not come, the intense heat filled with black people's righteous indignation will not pass. 1963 does not mean the end of the struggle, but the beginning. Some people hope that black people will be satisfied as long as they exhale; if the country is peaceful and there is no response, these people will be disappointed. Without the rights of black citizens, there can be no peace or tranquility in the United States; before a bright day of justice comes, the whirlwind of rebellion will continue to shake the foundation of this country.
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 mustnot be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.
But for the anxious people waiting at the gate of the Palace of Justice, there are some things I must say. In the process of striving for legal status, we should not adopt wrong practices. Let us not hold the cup of hostility and hatred to satiate our desire for freedom. When we fight, we must look far and behave appropriately and be disciplined. We cannot allow our protests with new content to degenerate into violent actions. We must constantly ascend to the lofty realm of dealing with material power with spiritual power.
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 . And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.
We cannot walk alone.
Now the black society is full of a great new fighting spirit, but we cannot distrust all white people because of this. Because many of our white brothers have realized that their destiny is closely linked to our destiny, their participation in the parade today is proof; their freedom is closely related to our freedom.
We cannot act alone.
And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.
We cannot turn back.
When we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.
We cannot go backwards.
There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. 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. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro&39;s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating "for whites only." 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 . No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."
Now someone asks people who are enthusiastic about the civil rights movement, "When will you be satisfied? We will never be satisfied if the black people are still suffering from the indescribable brutal persecution of the police. As long as our tired bodies cannot find accommodation in motels on the highway and hotels in the city, we will never be satisfied. The basic scope of black activities is only to move from small slums inhabited by ethnic minorities to large slums, we will never be satisfied. As long as Mississippi there is still a black man who cannot participate in the election, as long as a black man in New York thinks that his vote will not help, we We will never be satisfied. No! We are not satisfied now, nor will we be satisfied in the future, unless justice and justice are like the waves of the sea, surging and rolling.
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and trib ulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. 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. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. 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.
I did not notice that some of the people who participated in today’s rally suffered all the hardship and torture; some had just walked out of the narrow cell, and some were seeking freedom. He was brutally hit by crazy persecution in his place of residence, and was tottering in the whirlwind of police brutality. You are long-term sufferers of man-made pain. Persevere, and firmly believe that enduring undeserved pain is an atonement. Let's go back to Mississippi, back to Alabama, back to South Carolina, back to Georgia , back to Louisiana, back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, Be aware that this situation can and will change.
Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends. And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
Let us not fall into despair without extricating ourselves. My friends, I tell you today, in the present and in the future, despite all the difficulties and setbacks we have suffered, I still have a dream. This dream is deeply rooted in the American dream.
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 man are created equal."
Stand up and truly realize the true meaning of its creed: "We think these truths are self-evident-all men are created equal."
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.
I dream that one day, on the Red Mountains of Georgia, the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down with the sons of former slave owners Brotherhood.
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.
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. State , a place where justice has disappeared and oppression has become windy, will also become an oasis of freedom and justice.
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 one day, my four children will meet each other not by their skin color, but by their character Evaluate their lives in the country.
I have a dream today!
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.
I have a dream today!
I dream that one day, Alabama will be able to change. Although the governor of the state is still full of dissent and opposed to federal laws, one day, black boys and girls there will be able to go hand in hand with white boys and girls. .
I have a dream today!
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. "
I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day, the valley will rise, the mountains will fall, and the bumpy and winding road will be smooth, and the light will be revealed, and the world will be full.
This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling 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 is our hope. I returned to the South with this faith. With this belief, we will be able to cleave a stone of hope from the despair. With this belief, we will be able to transform the harsh quarrels of this country into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this belief, we will be able to work together, pray together, fight together, go to jail together, and safeguard freedom together; because we know that one day we will be free.
And this will be the day - this will be the day when all of God&39;s children will be able to sing with new meaning:
My country &39;tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim&39;s pride,
From every mountainside, let freedom ring!
On the day when freedom comes, all the children of God will sing this song with new meanings: "My motherland, beautiful In the land of freedom, I sing for you. You are the place where your fathers passed away, and you are the pride of the first immigrants. Let freedom ring from every hill!"
And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.
And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.
Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.
Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of
Pennsylvania.
Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.
curvaceous freedom ring from the curvaceous freedom ring slopes of California.
But not only that:
Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.
From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
If America is to become a great country, this dream must be realized.
Let freedom ring from the majestic peak of New Hampshire!
Let freedom ring from New York State !
Let freedom ring from the summit of Mount Allegheny, Pennsylvania!
Let freedom ring from the snow-covered Rockies of Colorado! Let freedom ring from the winding peaks of California !
Not only that, but also let the voice of freedom ring from Stone Town, Georgia!
Let the voice of freedom ring from the Lookout Mountain of , Tennessee!
Let the voice of freedom ring from MississippiEvery hill rang!
Let freedom ring from every hillside.
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&39;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 voice of freedom rings, let it ring from every village, every state, and every city, we will be able to accelerate the arrival of this day. At that time, all the children of God, black and white people, Jews and Non-Jews, Jesuits and Catholics will join hands to sing an ancient black spiritual song:
is finally free! Free at last!
Thank God Almighty, we are finally free!
