‘I Have A Dream’: 56 Years On, Let’s Finally Realise King’s Vision

King’s historic speech was addressed to over 250,000 people at the peak of the civil rights movement in the US.

An archival image of Martin Luther King Jr (centre).

(Photo Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons)

(We are republishing this piece from The Quint’s archives, on the anniversary of Martin Luther King Junior’s historic speech which was delivered in1963. This piece was first published on 28.08.17)

56 years ago on this day, eminent American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Junior delivered his historic speech ‘I have a dream’, during the ‘March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom’. On 28 August 1963, King, who emerged as the most prominent face of the civil rights movement in the United States, called for an end to racism in the country, and made an appeal for civil and economic rights for the blacks.

Standing at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, King addressed an audience of over 250,000 civil rights activists on this day. Thus, ‘I have a dream’ became a watershed moment for the American civil rights movement.

Also Read: Martin Luther King Jr on Gandhi’s Non-Violence Teachings

In his speech, King alluded to the Emancipation Proclamation, which led to the abolition of slavery in 1863, and said with a sense of pathos:

One hundred years later, the Negro still is not free.

However, he also said, referring to the same landmark moment that freed millions of slaves:

It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

An archival image of Martin Luther King Jr (centre). (Photo Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons)

One of the most quotable quotes from King’s speech is:

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 today!

‘I have a dream’ has no single version, and is believed to have multiple versions, penned at different times. Originally titled “Normalcy, Never Again,” King’s speech is thus, an amalgam of many drafts.

While the speech is considered to be one of the greatest to have ever been written, Clarence Benjamin Jones, of the two men who helped draft the speech, famously claimed:

The logistical preparations for the march were so burdensome that the speech was not a priority for us... On the evening of Tuesday, 27 August 1963, (12 hours before the march) Martin still didn’t know what he was going to say.

While slavery might have officially come to an end, the United States and various other parts of the world continue to grapple with rampant racism and bigotry. Martin Luther King Jr’s “dream” is yet to be fulfilled.

(With inputs from BBC, Open Vault)

(We Indians have much to talk about these days. But what would you tell India if you had the chance? Pick up the phone and write or record your Letter To India. Don’t be silent, tell her how you feel. Mail us your letter at [e-mail]. We’ll make sure India gets your message)